Flakey & Easy Pie Dough

Dinner party: basil oil roast chicken & ginger peach pie. A good son cooks his parents' 30th wedding anniversary dinner

5 ingredients0

Ryan Nordheimer•

November 3, 2025

My parents got married in the tail-end of June. Those days when the allure of late spring all too quickly melts away into a sad puddle of humidity. On their wedding day in 1995 it was humid. And on their 30th wedding anniversary in 2025 it was just as humid. So let me ask you: why would I choose to step outside and spend one singular minute at a grill (inferno in cooking appliance form) singing my eyebrow and arm hairs off? I say no thank you.

Instead, I made the more reasonable choice to cook all of summer’s greatest abundance (peaches, tomatoes, basil, zucchini) within the confines of my parents’ (small) indoor kitchen.

The guests were a special bunch: my parents, my grandma who was visiting from Florida, my aunt, my uncle, and my cousin/social media marketing intern who does almost nothing but asks me for money ceaselessly.

To craft my menu, I was aiming for elegant yet fun, simple flavors yet not boring, summery yet…well, summery. And since I was cooking in my parents’ kitchen, I thought let’s bring back one of my viral recipes from when I used to live at home: my ginger peach pie. Now I can’t say for sure, but I think this pie is responsible for my Instagram account shooting up from around 25k followers to 120k followers within the span of a week back in 2022. And understandably so. A stunning, golden circular lattice with a perfect balance of sweet peach and spicy ginger. With some vanilla ice cream (my mom’s favorite), I thought it was a perfect dessert choice.

And for the entree, I was inspired by countless videos of herb oil I’d seen on my social media feeds. Beautifully verdant oil that tinges crudos with stunning hues that only fat can imbue. I thought why not drown a perfectly cooked roast chicken in a basil oil, enhanced with toasted garlic, sesame, and lemon juice. An elevated and somewhat restaurant-y version of a green sauce.

Other sides I served included: classic bruschetta, corn cobs I slathered with hot honey butter and garnished with crushed corn nuts, and a labneh-dressed little gem pea salad.

The buffet was set. The food delicious. And then the night turned a little sideways with some reasonable table side political discourse regarding migration, Mamdani’s primary election win, and Biden’s presidential legacy. Discussion turns to argument, you know the drill. Some family members stormed out of the house a bit early and missed out on the pie, but that’s what family occasions are all about, right? More slices for me.

For the love of family drama,

Ryan

Ingredients (5)

All-purpose Flour(2 ½ cups)
Sugar(2 Tbsp)
Kosher salt(2 tsp)
Unsalted butter(16 Tbsp, cubed into 1/4” pieces and chilled)
A medium bowl of ice water(8–9 Tbsp)

Instructions

Get your work area ready because it’s better to work quickly. You’ll need: a fork, a bench scraper (or a knife), a tablespoon, and two pieces of plastic wrap laid out next to your work station.
In a large bowl, mix the flour (2 ½ cups), sugar (2 Tbsp), and salt (2 tsp). Then add in the butter (16 Tbsp). Toss to coat in flour. Then using your finger tips, smash the butter into the flour until all the pieces are broken up and no larger than a hazelnut.
Measure out 2 tablespoons of ice water (make sure there’s no actual ice going into the dough), and drizzle over the dough. Toss with the fork to distribute. Repeat 3 more times, so you’re adding 8 tablespoons of ice water.
Press some of the dough together with your hands. If it clumps together, it’s hydrated. If it crumbles apart, add 1 more tbsp ice water. Dump dough onto your counter and press into a square shape.
Divide dough into 4 pieces using your bench scraper (or knife). Stack quadrants up onto each other and then press dough. Pat back into a flat square and repeat one more time.
Divide dough into 2 even pieces. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and flatten a bit so it’s about ½ in thick. Doughs can stay in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for a couple months.