Homecook's Guide: How To Flaky Pie Crust
step by step instructions from a homecook to a homecook on how to make an all-butter pie crust
Servings: 1 pie crust
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- Bench Scraper/Pastry Cutter
Ingredients
- 1 & 3/4 cup all purpose flour (225g) spooned & leveled
- 12 tbs unsalted butter (6oz)
- 1.5 tsp Salt
- 1.5 tbs Sugar
- ice & water up to 1/2 cup
Instructions
- Cut the Butter & keep cold: Cut the butter into 1/2 inch cubes. Place in fridge. If you will be using your hands instead of a bench scraper, place the butter cubes in the freezer.
- Start the Dough: While cubed butter is chilling, measure flour, salt & sugar & add to large bowl. Whisk together lightly. Next, fill a cup with about 1/2 cup water and lots of ice. Let it get cold (about 1 min). Get cold butter from freezer & add to flour mixture. Toss it to coat.
- Cut Butter: Hold your bench scraper by the handle. Chop & toss the butter over & over. Coat all of the pieces of cold butter in flour as you chop. You can also use your hand. If the butter warms, throw flour and butter in freezer until it is cold. Chop and toss with the bench scraper until the butter is MOSTLY pea sized amounts. Some will be a little larger, some small.
- Add Water: Add 3tbs of ice water. Toss & chop the butter again to fully incorporate the water. I prefer to dump everything onto the counter directly. Squeeze the dough. Does the dough hold together? Probably not yet. It should mostly hold together but very easily fall apart when it's ready. Drizzle another 2tbs water (try not to exceed 8). Toss and cut. Squeeze to feel. It will look crumbly, but hold together when squeezed. You should still be able to see butter pieces.
- Chill Dough: Form dough it into a flat disk and wrap it tightly in saran wrap. Let it chill in the refrigerator 30 minutes. When your pie dough is chilled, remove it from the fridge & let sit 5 to 10 minutes. It should be cold to the touch, but malleable.
- Rolling Out Dough: Flour the surface & dust some on both sides of your dough disk. Next, roll the dough out with a rolling pin until it is as wide as you need it. IF it is for a pie dish, make sure there is enough overhang for when it shrinks or you fold the edges. As you roll GENTLY, turn the dough and flip it, dusting with flour as needed.Roll bottom to top only & not back and forth.
- Baking Pie Crust: There are tons of pie recipes out there you can use. Anything that calls for a pie crust (quiche, galette, pie, pot pie top), you can use this recipe. There is a step by step on my Instagram in stories for a blueberry galette & a pie which shows me rolling the pie crust out. Any other directions for baking will be included in whatever recipe you are choosing.
Notes
Things to Know:
-the homecook's guides always have tons of detail in the actual blog post above. refer to the post itself if you have more questions or comment below for troubleshooting help.
- dough shaped into disc can be frozen for 30 days. They made need overnight in the refrigerator to thaw.