Made using only butter, this flaky all-butter pie crust will be the only recipe you will ever need.
Making pie dough from scratch often intimidates people. I’m here to tell you that with just a few tips, you will be able to ditch store-bought pie crust forever.
As I have mentioned before with my buttermilk biscuits and blackberry scones , the trick to a flaky pie crust is cold butter.
Most pie crust recipes begin with pulsing the butter with flour in a food processor until pea-sized or using a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour. What makes this flaky all-butter pie crust different than those is that it doesn’t require any fancy equipment. The pie dough is made entirely by hand.
How to Make Flaky All-butter Pie Crust
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt. Add in cold butter cubes, straight from the refrigerator.
Use clean hands to coat each butter cube with flour. Make sure to work quickly so butter doesn’t melt from the heat from your hands.
Again, working quickly, flatten each cube of butter using the palms of your hands or pinching them with your fingertips.
If at any point, you notice the butter melting, place the mixture into the freezer for a few minutes until the butter is chilled.
At this point, you’ll pour in nearly an entire cup of water. Make sure to use ice cold water to keep the butter cold. Use a rubber spatula to combine and bring together the dough into a rough ball. The dough may seem sticky, but during the rolling process, enough flour will be sprinkled on to combat any stickiness.
Turn the ball of dough onto a generously floured work surface. Sprinkle some flour onto the top of the dough ball and rub flour onto your rolling pin. Using the rolling pin, roll the dough ball into a rectangle measuring about 10 x 15-inches, sprinkling on more flour if dough begins to stick to the rolling pin.
This is where you can see the magic begin to take shape. All those pressed pats of butter have now become smears of butter and once baked, will be responsible for the flakiness in the crust!
We’re not going to stop here. Let’s continue to fold the dough to create even more buttery layers that will become even more flakes.
Fold the bottom of the rectangle to meet the middle of the rectangle.
Repeat with the top.
Where the ends meet, fold in half once more.
Use a bench scraper to divide the dough in half.
Work quickly to make a disc with each half of dough. Wrap each disc with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Use as directed in your favorite pie recipe. Give my Classic Apple Pie a try if you’re looking for your next favorite pie recipe!
Flaky All-Butter Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, cold, cubed
- 2/3 cup ice cold water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.
- Add the butter and use clean hands to coat each butter cube with flour, making sure to work quickly.
- Continue to work quickly and flatten each cube of butter using the palms of your hands or pinching them with your fingertips. Pour in the water and use a rubber spatula to combine and bring together the dough into a rough ball.
- Generously flour your work surface and turn the ball of dough onto the work surface. Sprinkle some flour onto the top of the dough ball and rub flour onto your rolling pin. Using the rolling pin, roll the dough ball into a rectangle measuring about 10 x 15-inches, sprinkling on more flour if dough begins to stick to the rolling pin.
- Fold the bottom of the rectangle to meet the middle of the rectangle. Repeat with the top. Where the ends meet, fold in half once more.
- Use a bench scraper to divide the dough in half. Work quickly to make a disc with each half of dough. Wrap each disc with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Each disc is enough for one 9-inch single crust pie. If the recipe requires a double crust, you will need both discs.
- Bake as directed according to your pie recipe.
Notes
Modified from Stella Parks’ No-Stress, Super-Flaky Pie Crust
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