Mixing Pie Doughs

Hand mixing is best for small quantities of dough, especially flaky dough, because it gives more control over the mixing. Quantities up to 10 pounds (5 kg) can be mixed almost as quickly by hand as by machine.

For machine mixing, use a pastry knife or paddle attachment and blend at low speed.

The mixing method for pie doughs is called the rubbed dough method. Although the procedure has several steps, the two main steps are characteristic of the method: