Turmeric Yellow Pie Dough

Yellow is a very attractive colour for a pie and can be used in combination with other colours for dramatic effects. Turmeric, an Asian and Indian plant related to ginger, has been used for thousands of years in medicine, cooking and for dyeing. It is inexpensive and readily available, has a pleasant and unobtrusive aroma and a mild black-pepper flavour. It also has the advantage that it maintains its colour after baking (to see the pie below after baking click here).

Turmeric can be added to normal pie dough, whereby the intensity of the colour depends solely on the amount of the spice used. The following recipe is for a relatively intensive yellow dough like that in the picture above.

Recipe

  • 2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour
  • 5 Tbl (50g) ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp white sugar
  • 200g (1 cup or 2 sticks) cold butter
  • 1/2 cup ice cold carbonated water or tap water with 1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Method using the food processor)
If you use a stand mixer or wish to make the dough by hand follow the instructions for these methods in the recipe for normal flaky all-butter pie dough, adding the turmeric and leaving out the egg and vinegar.

  • Place flour, turmeric, salt and sugar in the processor bowl and process at high speed to mix.
  • Cut butter into strips then into about ½ inch (1 cm) cubes.
  • Add butter to flour mix and pulse at low speed until the butter is in pea-sized discrete pieces. This only takes a few short pulses. Better too little than too much pulsing.
  • Mix cream of tartar and tap water, if using.
  • Turn on processor to medium speed and immediately add 1/2 of the waterand shut off motor. Pinch the dough between your fingers and if it is too dry add a bit more water and pulse. If too sticky add a little flour. When you have done this a few times you will know how long to mix. The process goes very quickly. Do not over mix.
  • Makes about 700g (23 oz). Divide in half, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour, up to 18 hours in refrigerator, or freeze to keep for at least 2 weeks.

2 thoughts on “Turmeric Yellow Pie Dough”

  1. Wow! you are just so inspiring… I love making pies. This is recent in my life. I used to hate it because I couldn’t manage the dough. Now I thoroughly love it…
    Thank you for sharing all you do…!

    Reply

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