Description
A classic flaky pie crust recipe that yields a tender, buttery foundation perfect for both sweet and savory pies. This all-butter crust is easy to make and delivers professional-quality results with a crispy, flaky texture every time.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional, for sweet pies)
Fat
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very cold and cut into small cubes
Liquid
- 6–8 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar if using to ensure even distribution of ingredients.
- Incorporate Butter: Add the cold, cubed butter and use a pastry cutter or your fingertips to work it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining, which help achieve flakiness.
- Add Ice Water: Drizzle in the ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing gently with a fork after each addition until the dough just begins to come together without becoming too wet.
- Form Dough Discs: Divide the dough into two equal portions, then shape each into a disc shape. Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap to prevent drying out.
- Chill Dough: Refrigerate the wrapped dough discs for at least 1 hour to firm up the butter and relax the gluten, which helps the crust hold its shape during baking.
- Roll Out: When ready to use, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to fit your pie dish and proceed with your pie recipe.
Notes
- Keep all ingredients as cold as possible for the flakiest results.
- You can freeze the dough for up to 3 months; thaw in the refrigerator before rolling out.
- This recipe makes enough for one double-crust pie or two single-crust pies.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: No-Bake (crust is baked with filling or as needed)
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of one crust
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 0g
- Sodium: 115mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
