Description
This homemade all-butter pie crust recipe creates a flaky, tender pastry perfect for sweet or savory pies. Made with simple ingredients and processed quickly in a food processor, it yields two buttery pie crusts that can be prepped in advance and refrigerated before rolling out and baking.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
Butter
- 1 cup unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (2 sticks)
Liquid
- 8 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Place the flour, sugar, and salt into a food processor and pulse a few times until well combined.
- Add Butter: Add the cold diced or grated butter into the food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining for flakiness.
- Add Ice Water: Begin by adding 6 tablespoons of ice water, pulsing just until the dough starts to clump. Add additional water, one tablespoon at a time, if needed until the dough holds together when pressed between fingers but is not sticky.
- Form Dough Disks: Transfer the crumbly dough onto a clean work surface and gently gather into a ball without kneading. Divide the dough in half and press each half into a flat disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up the dough and hydrate the flour.
- Prepare for Rolling: Remove the dough disks from the refrigerator and let them sit for 5 to 10 minutes if too hard to roll. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin.
- Roll Out Dough: Roll each disk into a circle about 12 inches in diameter or the size needed for your pie pan, turning the dough occasionally to prevent sticking and maintain an even thickness. Use the crust immediately for your pie or store wrapped in the refrigerator for later use.
Notes
- Use very cold butter and ice water to ensure a flaky crust.
- Do not overmix the dough; discontinuous chunks of butter help create flakiness.
- Refrigerating the dough for at least one hour helps relax gluten and firm the fat.
- Roll the dough gently and evenly to prevent tearing and shrinking during baking.
- Wrap and freeze any unused dough for up to one month.
