This post is about how to make an all-butter pie crust. This recipe makes enough to two single-crust pies or one double crust pie.
There is nothing more satisfying than making your own pie dough and making a pie from scratch. In this recipe, I'll show you how to take 5 simple ingredients and make a laminated pie dough that will give your pies or hand pies beautiful flaky layers. And if this is your first time making pie dough, and you have questions leave a comment or send me an email and I'll be happy to answer your questions.
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About This Pie Crust Recipe
This pie crust recipe is a little different than most recipes you'll find on the internet because I use a technique called lamination to get lots of flaky layers with the dough is baked.
Lamination is the technique of repeatedly rolling and folding the dough. For this dough recipe, the rolling and folding is done 3 times.
Each time you fold and roll, you create more layers of butter and dough. When the pie crust bakes, the butter melts and creates steam, puffing up the layers and making the crust light and flaky.
I use this pie dough recipe for these pie recipes:
Growing up and well into adulthood my mother made the most amazing pies. The filling was always just right and the pie crust was incredibly flaky. I've always love to bake, but I focused on cakes, cookies and pastry. There was no need for me to learn how to make pies because my mother had that locked down.
Then came the day when my mom wasn't able to make pies anymore. It wasn't sudden, it was gradual as her arthritis made it hard for her to stand and to roll out dough. So I learned to make pie crust. The first few weren't great, but practice really does make better and eventually perfect. So if you're new to pie dough and pie crust I want to encourage you to dive right in and just keep practicing.
Only 5 Ingredients in This Pie Crust
This pie dough has five basic ingredients and each ingredient plays a specific role in creating a delicious butter pie crust.
A good pie dough starts with quality ingredients. I use Bob's Red Mill Unbleached All-Purpose Flour because of its quality and protein content. It's my go-to flour for most of my baking. For butter, I love Tillamook Butter.
- Unbleached All-Purpose Flour. Provides the structure for the pie crust.
- Cold Unsalted Butter. Butter provides the flavor and flakiness of the pie. Use unsalted butter, because different brands of salted butter contain different amounts of salt and it's better to control the salt by adding salt.
- Kosher Salt. The salt enhances the flavor of the pie crust.
- Granulated Sugar. Sugar adds a little sweetness and helps with the browning of the dough as it bakes.
- Ice Cold Water. Water holds everything together. Ice cold water helps ensure that the butter stays cold. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of water. The dough will be a little wet, but as the dough rests and chills in the refrigerator it will absorb the water. Depending on how you store your flour you may need to add an additional tablespoon of water if the dough is crumbly and feels dry after adding the water.
How to Make The Dough
Step 1: Cut the cold butter into 1/2-inch cubes and place it back in the refrigerator.
Step 2: Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk them to combine.
Step 3: Add the cold butter to the dry ingredients
Step 4: Toss the cubes of butter in the flour until they're all coated with flour.
Step 5: Flatten each piece of butter between your thumb and first two fingers.
Step 6: Work the butter into the dough until you have a combination of what looks like panko bread crumbs and larger pieces of butter
Step 7: Add the water, and toss the dry ingredients and the water together until most of the dough looks wet. Use your hands to squeeze the dough together until you have large pieces like in the photo.
Step 8: Pour all the dough onto a well-floured work surface. Knead the dough until it starts to come together.
Step 9: Flatten and shape the dough into a large rectangle with your hands.
Step 10: Fold the top-third of the dough towards the center.
Step 11: Fold the bottom third over the top half. Rotate the dough.
Step 12: Flatten and shape the dough into a large rectangle once again with your hands.
Step 13: Repeat the step of folding the dough.
Step 14: Shape the dough into a rectangle. At this point the dough will be soft.
Step 15: Divide the dough into two pieces, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 45 minutes and for up to 2 days.
How to Store the Pie Dough
Now that you have made this beautiful pie dough, it needs to be stored properly. Pie dough can go bad, and you don't want that to happen.
Refrigerator: Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and store it for at least 45 minutes and up to 2 days. If for some reason you didn't make that pie or hand pies as planned and it's been 2 days, freeze the pie dough.
Freezing Pie Dough: Place the pie dough in a freezer bag and freeze it for up to 2 months. When ready to use the dough, place it in the refrigerator the day before to thaw.
Rolling and Shaping the Pie Dough
Follow the instructions in the associated recipe for rolling out the pie dough. For most recipes you'll want round, as in this Peach Crumble Pie recipe. But for these Cherry Hand Pies you want a rectangle.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Use Cold Butter. Your butter and water should be cold when they're mixed into the dry ingredients. My mother sometimes chilled the flour. I haven't tried that technique yet, but it worked for her. I keep a jar that holds 2 cups of water in the refrigerator so I have ice-cold water whenever I need it.
- Don't overwork the dough. Working the dough too much will activate the gluten in the flour and create a dough that is harder to roll our and a finished pie crust that is chewy. Once the water is added only work it enough with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to work it into the other ingredients and then shape it into a circle or square for your recipe.
- Keep the dough cool. After chilling the dough, let it sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes to make it easier to roll out. Quickly roll out the dough and fit it into whatever baking pan or pie plate that you are using. Then chill the dough again after shaping it.
Troubleshooting Pie Crust
- The pie dough is crumbly and the edges crack when rolled out. Not enough water was added to the dough.
- The dough tears as it's lifted into the pie plate. The dough is too warm. If it is fragile or soft return the dough to the refrigerator and let it chill for 15 minutes.
- The pie crust is tough and chewy. The dough was either overworked or not all the butter called for in the recipe was used.
More Pie Recipes
How to Make Homemade All-Butter Pie Crust
Ingredients
Pie Dough
- 2-3/4 cups + 4 teaspoons (354 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour plus more flour for dusting your work surface
- 2 teaspoons (8 grams) white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 20 tablespoons (284 grams) cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup ice-cold water or more if required
Instructions
- This recipe makes enough dough for two crusts. If you don't need both freeze the second half of the dough. You can also make half of this recipe if you only want one pie crust.
Mixing By Hand
- Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and add it to the flour mixture. Use your fingers or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the resembles a combination of lima beans and small peas.
- Add 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of the ice water and use a rubber spatula to toss the water and dry ingredients together. Add the remaining water and gently mix it in. The dough will feel and look wet but that is okay.
- Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and press the dough together. Use your fingers to press it out to a 6x8-inch rectangle with the short end facing you. Fold the top third towards the center and then fold the bottom third over the top half.
- Rotate the dough 90 degrees (a quarter turn) so the short edge is facing you. The edges won’t be smooth or completely even which is okay. If the dough is sticking to the work surface, add more flour.
- Again, with your fingers press the dough out to a 6x8-inch rectangle. Fold the top third towards the center and then fold the bottom third over the top half. Repeat this step one more time.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts (about 385 grams each) and shape each piece into a round disk 1-inch thick if you're making a pie or two square shapes if you're making square hand pies. Wrap each piece of dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 45 minutes. The dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
- Follow the directions in the recipe that you’re using the pie dough for to roll out and shape the pie dough.
Food Processor
- Put the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl and stir to combine. Place the flour mixture into a food processor.
- Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and add it to the flour mixture. Pulse the dough until it is coarse and crumbly, and the butter is about the size of peas.
- Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup of ice water and use a rubber spatula to gently toss the water and dry ingredients together until the water is absorbed. Add the remaining water and mix into the dough until it comes together. The dough will feel and look wet but that is okay.
- Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and press the dough together. Follow the directions above to finish folding the dough.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal parts and shape each piece into a disk 1-inch thick. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and chill for at least 45 minutes.
Storing the Dough
- With either method, the dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and frozen for up to 2 months. If freezing the dough, wrap each disk in another layer of plastic wrap and then placed them in a freezer bag. When ready to use the dough place it in the refrigerator the day before you plan to use it to thaw out.
Susan says
Although for a considerable time Iโve longed to make my own pie crust from scratch, I have shied away from it until I found your homemade butter pie crust recipe. Finally: success! Your straightforward & encouraging directions did the trick. Everyone loved the crust; compliments abounded. Iโm officially done with inferior store bought crusts & will be exclusively using your recipe. Thank you so much & my familyโs pie holes say thanks & so yummy, too!
Cheryl Norris says
Hi Susan
I'm so glad you decided to try making your own homemade pie crust and honored that you chose my recipe. My mom made the pie bests and for a long time I avoided making pies because her's were so good. When I finally did, it took awhile to get it right, but was so glad I did. I'm happy that everyone loved the result, and you got so many compliments. Please let me know if you ever have any questions about any of the recipes.