If you’ve read my “About Me” page, you know I have a slight obsession with all things PIE. I don’t discriminate, I love fruit pies, chocolate pies, savory pies, even breakfast pies (non pie-connoisseurs refer to these as “quiche”). The all-butter pie crust is my go-to for every pie I make. It’s easy to work with and always turns out flaky and delicious.
Here’s what you need:
yields 1 double pie crust
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter (note: the higher the quality, the better the crust)
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup – 1/2 cup ice water
– TIP: Start by filling a spouted measuring cup with water, add ice cubes, and keep in freezer until ready to use in the pie crust.
– TIP:When measuring flour, stir the flour before spooning it into the measuring cup. This allows for the most accurate measurement, and prevents air bubbles.
Here’s what you do:
1. Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt.
2. Cut butter into smaller cubes. Be sure the butter is cold!
3. Add butter to the flour mixture and using a pastry cutter “cut” the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. When using a pastry cutter, I press down on the mixture and rotate my hand 90º to incorporate the butter into the flour.
– TIP: No pastry cutter? No problem! You can use two butter knives, or if you don’t mind getting messy, you can use your hands.
what the heck are coarse crumbs? Your mixture should look like this:
4. Take out the ice water from the freezer. Begin pouring a stream of water around the bowl and count to 5. I’m not talking 1 mississippi, 2 mississippi. Count to 5 like a normal person. 1 2 3 4 5.
5. Using your hands, begin to mold the dough together into a ball. If there is still flour that is not incorporated, add a little bit more water.
– TIP: Be careful not to knead the crust mixture, however don’t be afraid to work with it and mold it into a ball/disk. One of the biggest mistakes I made when I first started making pie crust was under mixing because I was afraid of over mixing. Work the pie crust until it comes together.
It will look like this:
6. Split it into two evenly sized portions and form them into discs. Wrap them in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, and up to 3 days. I generally refrigerate mine for about an hour before rolling out.
7. When it’s ready to roll out, place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and sprinkle flour on top. I like to put flour on my rolling pin as well to minimize sticking. Roll out the dough evenly and check periodically to be sure it’s not sticking to the surface. If it starts to stick, gently lift it up and add more flour underneath.
– TIP: It’s helpful to use a really cold surface when rolling out pie dough to prevent the butter from melting. I like to use a marble slab, you can find them at Kohl’s, Williams Sonoma, or Amazon!*
Voila!
If you are looking for additional tricks/tips or have any questions when it comes to pie crust, leave a comment below and I’d be happy to help! I’ve spent many weekends perfecting the art of pie crust, and I’ve learned a lot along the way.
Happy Baking!
Jenny
BAKES & LAKES 