Pie crust can be very intimidating. Growing up, we always used store bought pie crust and I was shocked when I learned how simple it is to make. The key with any pie crust is the flaky layers and to use COLD ingredients. This pie crust is full flaky, buttery layers.
All about the butter
Butter is the most important part of making a flaky pie crust. I like an all butter crust and it needs to be made by hand. A food processor will over blend the butter and it will lose some of the flaky texture.
First, mix the flour, salt, and sugar together in a bowl. Then cut the butter into small 1/2 inch cubes. The smaller cube make it easier to cut or blend into the butter.
Start with your hands and pinch the flour mixture and butter together soften and smushing the butter into the flour. Then use a pastry blender to cut in in more. The mixture should be coarse and some larger chunks of butter and some smaller. These different sized chunks help create the flaky texture.
The last step is add in ice cold water. Add until in comes together- usually around 1/2 cup of water. But sometimes it is more and sometimes less. I find a little more water makes the dough easier to work with. A crumbly dough is hard to roll out and shape. This has not impacted the final texture.
The dough needs to chill and rest before you can use it. Divide it into two rounds and place in the fridge for at least 30-60 minutes, but it will be fine for a couple days. If you chill for longer than an hour, let it sit for about 15-20 minutes before rolling it out.
Cube cold butter
Blend butter into the flour mixture
Add cold water and mix until a dough forms.
Single, Double, or Decorative?
Single Crust: For a single crust pie, use half the recipe or freeze half the dough.
Double Crust: A double crust pie, will use the other half of the crust as top crust with several slit or vents to allow stem out.
Decorative Crust: The most common top crust is a lattice. This beautiful top crust is easy to make and is a great touch for a traditional fruit pie.
Tips for a Perfect Pie Crust
Cold Ingredients: The butter and water need to be COLD. The crust’s signature flakiness comes from when the hot heat of the oven melts the cold butter creating little pockets of steam in the flour. If the dough or butter is warm it will not be as flaky. I like to chill my whole assembled pie in the freezer as the oven heats up to ensure everything is properly chilled, but not frozen
Add enough water: Early in my pie making, I was scared to add too much water and alway had a crumbly dough. Don’t be scared to add water, if the dough gets too soft and a little flour will firm it right up.
Chunks of Butter: I prefer to make my pie crust by hand because the food processor does too good of a job blending the butter into the flour. Often the dough it over mixed. You should be able to see some chunks of butter. Not big huge ones, but small ones pea-sized ones.
All Butter Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup cold butter (two sticks)
- 3/4 cup ice cold water
Instructions
Pie Dough
- In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, and salt together.
- Using your hands or a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture until is has a coarse sand-like texture with various size chunks of flour.
- Add ice water. Stir until a rough dough comes together. If it is too dry add in 1 table of water at a time until in come together. If it is too wet add in a tablespoon of floor at a time to absorb some of the water.
- Divide the dough into two equal portions. On plastic wrap, shape one portion into the flat disc and wrap tightly. Repeat with the other half.
- Chill at least one hour and up to a week.
Blind Bake
- Roll out dough and press into pie pan. Chill dough in the fridge for 30-40 minutes and freezer for 10 minutes. Do not freeze.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Put parchment paper over chilled dough and cover with weights, beans or rice.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove pie from oven. The edges should be set and the bottom still looks raw.
- Remove parchment paper and weights. Using a fork, dock the bottom of the pie. To dock the pie, gently poke holes in the bottom of the pie crust. The pie is par baked at this point.
- For a fully baked crust, return to the oven for an additional 7-10 minutes until the crust is crisp and golden brown. If the edges are cooking too fast cover with a foil ring or pie shield.
Notes
- For a single crust pie, halve the recipe or freeze the other half.
- Uncooked pie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months, thaw in the fridge.
- For dough that chills longer than an hour, let it rest on the counter for 10-20 minutes until if it soft enough to roll out.
