This home made chocolate pie dough is made with Dutch processed cocoa powder and chilly butter for a wealthy crust that bakes up flaky and tender. Good for each traditional and trendy desserts!
This chocolate pie dough is a cocoa-rich model of my traditional home made pie dough, made with the identical easy components and reliable technique. Including unsweetened cocoa powder provides the dough a deep chocolate taste whereas maintaining it straightforward to roll and bake into a young but sturdy crust.
This chocolate pastry crust works superbly for candy pies with creamy fillings, custards, or baked chocolate and fruit fillings, holding its form with out changing into mushy or fragile. It’s totally different from my Italian chocolate pie dough, which is a pasta frolla fashion crust, and is supposed for dessert pies that profit from a bit extra construction and clear slices.
Chocolate Pie Crust Elements
- All-purpose flour: That is the bottom of the dough and provides the crust the construction it wants to carry fillings whereas nonetheless baking up tender.
- Unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder: Provides wealthy chocolate taste and a deep shade. I like Dutch-processed cocoa right here as a result of it blends easily into the dough and retains the chocolate style balanced, not bitter.
- Granulated sugar: Simply sufficient to flippantly sweeten the crust and spherical out the cocoa with out competing with the filling.
- Salt: A small quantity of salt brings all of the flavors collectively. In case you are utilizing unsalted butter, you should definitely add it.
- Chilly butter: Chilly butter is essential for a superb pie crust. Because it melts within the oven, it creates a young texture and helps the crust bake correctly.
- Very chilly water: Chilly water brings the dough collectively whereas maintaining the butter chilly, which helps forestall a tricky crust.
Learn how to Make Chocolate Pie Dough
In a big bowl or meals processor, whisk collectively the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt till nicely mixed. This helps evenly distribute the cocoa so the dough bakes with a constant chocolate taste.
Add the chilly, cubed butter and work it into the dry components utilizing a pastry cutter or brief pulses in a meals processor. The combination ought to appear to be coarse crumbs with some bigger items of butter nonetheless seen.
Add the chilly water one tablespoon at a time, mixing gently simply till the dough begins to return collectively.
Switch the dough to a flippantly floured floor and gently deliver it collectively right into a clean ball. Flatten barely, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour earlier than rolling.
As soon as chilled, the dough is able to roll, type and use in your favourite candy pie recipes.
Rolling Out the Chocolate Pie Dough
As soon as the dough has chilled and feels agency however pliable, it is able to roll. Evenly mud a clear work floor with a skinny layer of flour blended with a small quantity of cocoa powder. This helps forestall sticking with out leaving white patches on the dough.
Flatten the dough barely together with your arms, then roll from the middle outward till it kinds a fair circle. If the dough cracks on the edges or feels stiff, let it relaxation for a couple of minutes so it will probably calm down earlier than persevering with.
Roll the dough right into a circle about 2 to three inches wider than your pie plate. To switch it, gently drape the dough over the rolling pin, then ease it into the pan. Press it into the underside and sides with out stretching the dough, which might trigger shrinkage throughout baking.
Trim any extra dough, leaving a few half-inch overhang. Fold the sting beneath itself to create a clear rim, then crimp or form as desired. If the dough turns into mushy at any level, return it to the fridge briefly earlier than filling or baking.
Par Baking vs. Blind Baking Chocolate Pie Crust
Par baking means partially baking the crust earlier than including the filling. This can be a good choice for pies that can end baking within the oven, akin to a custard or chocolate pie, as a result of it helps forestall a soggy backside whereas nonetheless permitting the crust to bake absolutely with the filling.
Blind baking means baking the crust utterly by itself, normally weighted with pie weights or dried beans. This technique works finest for no-bake or chilled fillings, like my creamy frozen chocolate pie and Italian chocolate pie or mousse pies like my chocolate chip peanut butter pie, the place the filling doesn’t return into the oven.
For this chocolate pie crust, each strategies work nicely. Which one you select will depend on the kind of filling you propose to make use of.
Recipe Suggestions
- Maintain the butter chilly: Chilly butter is crucial for a superb pie crust. If the butter softens an excessive amount of, the dough can lose its construction.
- Keep away from utilizing your fingertips:: Whereas fingertips are sometimes utilized in pastry, they will heat the butter too shortly. A pastry cutter or meals processor helps preserve the butter chilly and the feel constant.
- Add the water slowly: You could not want the entire water. Add it one tablespoon at a time and cease as quickly because the dough comes collectively. An excessive amount of liquid will outcome in a heavy crust.
- Don’t overmix: As soon as the dough begins to return collectively, cease mixing. Overworking the dough could make the crust powerful as a substitute of tender.
- Chill earlier than rolling: Resting the dough within the fridge permits the gluten to calm down and corporations up the butter, making the dough simpler to roll and serving to the crust maintain its form within the oven.
This chocolate pie dough is wealthy, tender, and simple to work with, making it the right base for each traditional and inventive fillings. As soon as baked, it provides a deep chocolate flavour that turns any pie into one thing actually particular.
- 2 cups all objective flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened dutch processed cocoa
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 pinch salt (if utilizing unsalted butter then add ¼ teaspoon salt)
- ¾ cup butter (chilly and cubed)
- 5-7 tablespoons very chilly water
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In a big bowl or meals processor sift within the flour and cocoa powder, add the sugar and salt and whisk to mix. Add the butter and mix or pulse to type coarse crumbs. Add the water one tablespoon at a time and mix or pulse to deliver the dough collectively.
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Transfer the dough to a flippantly floured flat floor and gently knead to type a compact dough ball. Wrap in plastic and chill one hour earlier than utilizing. Get pleasure from!
Wrap the dough nicely and freeze for as much as 2 months. Thaw it in a single day within the fridge, then let it relaxation briefly at room temperature earlier than rolling.
Roll the dough out and gently match it into the pie plate, then freeze it uncovered till agency. As soon as frozen, wrap the pie plate tightly with plastic wrap or foil and return it to the freezer for as much as 2 months. When prepared to make use of, bake straight from frozen, including a number of further minutes to the baking time.
Energy: 1186kcal | Carbohydrates: 127g | Protein: 16g | Fats: 72g | Saturated Fats: 45g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 3g | Monounsaturated Fats: 18g | Trans Fats: 3g | Ldl cholesterol: 183mg | Sodium: 574mg | Potassium: 318mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 2127IU | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 7mg | Phosphorus: 234mg
recipe FAQs
A baked chocolate pie crust ought to look set and dry, not shiny or moist. The perimeters will really feel agency to the contact, and the underside ought to be absolutely baked somewhat than mushy. If blind baking, the crust ought to launch simply from the pie weights and maintain its form.
Sure. Chocolate pie dough could be made forward and saved wrapped tightly within the fridge for as much as 2 days. Let it sit at room temperature for a couple of minutes earlier than rolling so it softens barely.
Completely. Wrap the dough nicely and freeze for as much as 2 months. Thaw it in a single day within the fridge, then let it relaxation briefly at room temperature earlier than rolling.
Sure. Roll the dough out and gently match it into the pie plate, then freeze it uncovered till agency. As soon as frozen, wrap the pie plate tightly with plastic wrap or foil and return it to the freezer for as much as 2 months. When prepared to make use of, bake straight from frozen, including a number of further minutes to the baking time.
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