I have both, a 6qt KA mixer and a 12C KA FP. I would never use a mixer for pie dough, you could never get a decent pie crust that way. I want my pie crust to be flaky, tender and have good flavor. No cardboard!!!! I have made large batches of dough, using the recipe below. I double the amounts I put in the food processor, then empty it into a large bowl. After I have the first step done and into the bowl (as many times as needed) then I add my water/vodka in the amount called for in the second step. Easy. Remember, the fat needs to be cut into the flour in a uniform manner. You wouldn't get and acceptable dough if you tried to do a larger batch on the first step. There has to be enough room in the FP for the ingredients to combine correctly. Just a word on your inquiry about how bakery's do this. I didn't have a bakery but I did own a deli a few years ago. Food service companies have all kinds of doughs available, ready to use. Some may do that. I once was helping a friend how needed to make about 100 pies for something special. He threw all the pie dough ingredients, except the liquid, into his 80qt Hobart floor mixer. Then added the water. That dough was crap....cardboard. Read through the instructions on this recipe and it will make sense. Foolproof Pie Dough Cook's Illustrated The trick to this pie crust is the inclusion of vodka. Eighty\-proof vodka, which is 60 percent water and 40 percent alcohol, adds moistness to the dough without aiding in gluten formation since gluten doesn't form in ethanol. Although the recipe includes 8 tablespoons of liquid, the alcohol vaporizes during baking, resulting in a tender crust that only contains 6 1/2 tablespoons of water. Because of the extra liquid, the dough will be moister than most standard pie doughs and will require up to 1/4 cup more flour. \- makes one 9\-inch double\-crust pie \- Ingredients 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all\-purpose flour 1 teaspoon table salt 2 tablespoons sugar 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4\-inch slices 1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces 1/4 cup cold vodka 1/4 cup cold water Procedure 1\. Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one\-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl. 2\. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4\-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days. Nancy

I'd suggest you look for a recipe that meets your needs rather than altering the recipe you have already used. There are all kinds of sweet pastry recipes (aka Pate Sucree) using both white and brown sugar, which have a texture more like crisp cookies. And there are recipes that incorporate yogurt, Greek yogurt or yogurt cheese (which is yogurt that has been drained of the whey for a certain amount of time to make it thicker), but are not necessarily considered sweet pastry. Many sweet pasty recipes also have an egg in them for additional structure from the egg protein. Brown sugar pastry is also much darker than using white sugar. Sugar wrecks gluten formation, and the addition of a lot of sugar can make the pastry somewhat "sandy" or "gritty". Adding a lot of sugar can make pastry nearly impossible to roll out. Pastry chefs consider sugar pastry or sweet crust (Pate Sucree) best used for tarts that do NOT contain a juicy filling because they absorb liquid into the crust quickly. Your filling may be too juicy. Maybe you would like this recipe made with wonton wrappers instead of pastry? Just a thought.... Check Martha Stewart recipes for starters, then go to the Food Network, and perhaps search for pastry for tarts. It's easier to find the wheel than to reinvent it, especially when it comes to pastry. Be sure to let us know how things turned out, and good luck on your quest. -Grainlady

Exactly my thoughts.... MUCH too beautiful to eat. -Browning is aided by the addition of a sweetener and/or milk. -Xanthan gum, vinegar, and baking powder are ingredients that will help extensibility to help prevent cracking. -The addition of tapioca flour and/or cornstarch in a recipe will improve handling. -I wonder if using the coconut oil that remains a liquid would make a difference? Carrington Farms Coconut Cooking Oil (I find it at Wal-Mart) has a lot of uses in the kitchen where you want the coconut oil to remain liquid, and this pasty recipe may be one of them. -I found recipes that mist the pie tin with oil, and then mist the crust with oil just before baking. This may help prevent cracking, but it would also add a lot of fat and possibly make a greasy crust. -An egg wash would give it some strength, and that may help. Here's a crust recipe from "Gluten-Free 101" by the queen of gluten-free - Carol Fenster, Ph.D. (link to her web site is below). Coconut Pie Crust: Grease 9-inch pie plate. Combine 1-1/2 c. shredded coconut, 2 T. soft butter or margarine, 1 T. sweet rice flour, 1 t. vanilla extract, and 1/4 t. salt. Press onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch pie plate. Bake at 325-degrees F. until lightly toasted -- about 10-15 minutes. Watch carefully to avoid burning, Cool thoroughly. Add filling of your choice. Serves 6. Nutrition: 160 calories; 12g fat; 1g protein; 14g carbohydrates; 43mg sodium; 0mg cholesterol; -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Carol Fenster Cooks

Thank you, thank you, Nancy. Now wish me luck! Brenda