Parisian Pie Pastry

This pie pastry forgoes flakiness for ease of mixing and handling. It’s our adaptation of a formula we learned in Paris from pastry chef Stéphane Jimenez. The dough is made with less butter than typical flaky pie pastry or pâte brisée, and it ditches the usual ice water and cold butter, opting instead for room-temperature ingredients. The mixing starts in a stand mixer and finishes by hand on the countertop. The technique of smearing the mixed bits on the counter with the heel of your hand is referred to as fraisage in pastry parlance. The goal is to make the dough cohesive without developing gluten. This pastry bakes up with a sturdy, cookie-like texture that has enough structure for thick, heavy fillings such as pumpkin and custard. After it is fitted into a pie plate, it can be partially or fully baked; timings are included in the recipe. Make sure to use pie weights to prevent the dough from slipping and to minimize shrinkage during prebaking.