Queen Bee French Butter Pastry
Barely adapted from David Lebovitz as he learned it from Promenades Gourmandes
This really is the flakiest crust you will ever make. I use this for quiche and single crust pies (prebaked and unbaked). Pie plate and springform pan.
To make a top crust, double the recipe and follow instructions at end of recipe.
Makes one 9" tart shell *see below for 12” tart shell
Or one 9" pie crust
VEGAN: Replace butter with Nutiva or Spectrum Shortening or more coconut oil.
Whisk together and set aside:
1 cup plus 1 ½ Tb Queen Bee Bread, Biscuit, Pie Crust flour
2 Tb tapioca starch
Place these ingredients in an oven-proof bowl
6 Tb unsalted butter, chopped, at room temp
1 Tb oil, use coconut oil for the flakiest crust
3 Tb water
1 Tb sugar
1/4 tsp salt
Filling of choice
METHOD:
Preheat oven 400F°. Whisk together Queen Bee BBP blend and tapioca starch and set aside. If using a removable-base 9” tart tin place it on a baking sheet.
Place all other ingredients – butter through salt – in a medium size oven-proof bowl and place bowl in hot oven for 15 minutes. Butter will bubble and just start to brown at edges.
WEAR YOUR OVEN MITTS !!
Remove bowl from oven, add in the Queen Bee CCM flour/tapioca starch mix and stir quickly with a wooden spoon or spatula until dough pulls away from sides of bowl and forms a ball.
Tip hot dough into the waiting tart pan or pie plate and spread roughly across the base with a spatula.
When cool enough to touch, use your fingers to press and spread evenly up sides, an off-set spatula is great here to get a really smooth base. When you even off the top edge of the pastry keep the extra bits and if there are any cracks when the crust comes out of the oven simply smooth a bit of extra dough into them. (See photo above)
Prick all over with fork and place in freezer for 5 minutes to firm up slightly.
Bake 15 minutes till golden. Cool, fill and bake again as required.
For 12” Tart Shell
Whisk together:
1 ½ cups plus 2 Tb Queen Bee Bread, Biscuit, Pie Crust Blend
3 Tb tapioca starch
All ingredients going into oven:
½ cup plus 1 Tb butter, cut into cubes, room temperature
1 ½ Tb oil
4 ½ Tb water
1 ½ Tb sugar
rounded ¼ tsp salt
Continue with above instructions
Instructions for a top crust:
Double the recipe. Divide dough and pat half into the pie plate as instructed, then refrigerate. Do not bake.
Shape second half into a large disk and allow to cool in refrigerator. Place cooled dough disk onto a large piece of parchment paper dusted with tapioca starch. Dust top of disk with tapioca starch then cover with another large piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap.
Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough between the sheets of paper to desired size.
Lift both pieces of parchment paper to a cookie sheet and place in the freezer until firm, but not frozen. This won't take too long.
Meanwhile, fill bottom crust with desired filling. Remove cold top crust, peel off top parchment. If crust is too cold, it will be hard to shape and might crack. You want very cool, but not ice cold. Then use bottom parchment to quickly flip crust over filling.
Shape and create desired edge.
Cut three slits in the middle and if desired, brush top with an egg wash then a generous sprinkle of sugar.
Continue with your pie instructions (apple, cherry etc). Check half way through bake time to ensure crust is not browning too fast. Tent pie with aluminum foil is necessary.