Description
This classic All Butter Pie Crust recipe creates a flaky, tender base perfect for sweet or savory pies. Made with simple ingredients like cold unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, and a touch of salt, this crust is easy to prepare and customizable with optional herbs or spices. Chilling the ingredients and dough ensures maximum flakiness, resulting in a golden, buttery crust every time.
Ingredients
Scale
Basic Dough
- 1 cup (225g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 1/2 cups (312g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)
- 6 to 8 tablespoons ice cold water
Optional Add-ins
- Chopped fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme for herb-infused crust
- Substitute half the flour with whole wheat flour for a whole wheat blend
- Gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum for gluten-free crust
- Extra sugar (1-2 tablespoons) for sweetened crust
- Cinnamon or nutmeg for spiced crust
Instructions
- Chill Your Ingredients: Place the cold unsalted butter and ice cold water in the refrigerator for at least one hour to keep them chilled. This is key for achieving a flaky pie crust.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, and granulated sugar if using. This ensures even distribution and prevents clumps.
- Cut in the Butter: Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, cut the chilled butter into the flour mixture until pea-sized crumbs form. Leaving some larger butter pieces will result in a flakier crust.
- Add Ice Cold Water: Gradually add the ice cold water one tablespoon at a time, mixing gently with a fork just until the dough begins to come together. Avoid overworking to keep the dough tender.
- Form and Chill the Dough: Gather the dough into two discs, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flour to hydrate and gluten to relax.
- Roll Out and Use: Lightly flour your work surface and roll each dough disc to about 1/8 inch thickness. Transfer to your pie dish, trim excess edges neatly, and proceed with your pie filling and baking recipe.
Notes
- Keep all ingredients as cold as possible to ensure the butter does not melt prematurely, which keeps the crust flaky.
- Do not overwork the dough; handle it gently to avoid developing gluten which makes the crust tough.
- Chilling the dough before rolling allows the flour to absorb moisture and relaxes gluten for a tender crust.
- Customize your crust by adding herbs, spices, or switching flours according to your pie filling and dietary needs.
- This recipe can be doubled or halved depending on the size of pie you are making.
