Homemade Pie Crust Recipe
Homemade All Butter Pie Crust Recipe for a flaky buttery pie crust, single and double pie dough options.
Servings: 2 9-inch pie crusts
Ingredients
Double Pie Crust (best for deep dish and thicker crusts)
- 313 grams all purpose flour 10-11% protein
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 227 grams unsalted butter, *European style butter 82% butterfat cold, cut into small cubes
- 1 large egg lightly beaten with a fork
- 3-4 tablespoons ice water more if needed
Single Pie Crust (best for thinner crust, small pies and decorations)
- 157 grams all purpose flour 10-11% protein
- 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 113 grams unsalted butter, *European style butter cold, cut into small cubes
- 1 large egg lightly beaten with a fork
- 1-2 tablespoons ice water more as needed
Instructions
Make the Dough and 1st Rest
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt.
- Add cold butter cubes and work into flour with a pastry cutter. Work additional pieces in by rubbing butter into flour with finger tips until mixture resembles coarse corn meal with pea sized pebbles of butter.
- Add the beaten egg to the flour mixture and mix using a wooden spoon. *If you choose to omit the egg, you will need 1-2 tablespoons more of cold water.
- Next, add a tablespoon of cold water at a time, while gently shaping and packing the mixture into a dough ball. The dough should be neither dry and crumbly nor wet and sticky. It should pack together easily and once formed into a rough ball, you should be able to place your palm on the dough and remove it without anything sticking to your hand.
- Flatten the dough ball into a thick disc.
- For two single 9-inch crusts, weigh and divide the dough into two pieces or leave whole for a large deep pie dish. (I choose to leave whole and make two crust recipes, one for bottom of pie and one for making a lattice with thick pieces.)
- Wrap the two discs or single large disc of dough in plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour.
Laminate and 2nd Rest
- Place chilled dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out to about 1/2-inch thick rectangle. Brush off any excess flour. Fold the dough in half and then in half again. The dough is now folded into quarters with a simple lamination.
- Tuck the ends of the dough underneath itself and reshape into a disc. For the second rest, refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hr if you plan on using right away. Allowing the dough to rest overnight creates a more relaxed dough that is easier to roll out.
Roll Out and Line Pan
- Now it's time to roll dough out for lining the pie pan. Place one disc on a lightly floured surface. Roll your dough by starting from the center and working outwards in all directions, rotating dough clockwise as you go.
- Dough should be around 1/8 inch -1/4 inch thickness and at least 1 inch larger than your pie pan.
- Lift pie crust from the counter by gently folding onto the rolling pin and lowering in down to line the pan.
- Let the dough gently sink into the bottom and sides of the pie dish.
- Help smooth out any wrinkles with finger tips. Press dough into the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Take a sharp knife or scissors and trip away any overhanging dough from the lip of the pan, leaving a 1/2 inch overhang of pie dough.
- Tuck any overhanging dough underneath itself and crimp the edges into your desired shape.
- Follow directions from desired pie recipe for filling and baking your pie crust.
- OR, you can choose to par bake for a custard pie or blind bake the crust for a non baked filling recipe. (such as chocolate mousse or ganache)
Video
Notes
Ingredients Used:
Let your dough rest for 1 hour before rolling out. If the dough has been in the fridge longer than an hour, let it sit on the counter for about 15-20 minutes to warm slightly to room temperature before rolling out. If the dough springs back while rolling, it needs more resting time in the fridge. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Make the dough ahead and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Any longer than that and it's better to just freeze it, as the dough will start to turn a little grey in color. Not ready to bake just yet and want to freeze your pie dough? Double wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe plastic bag or air tight container for up to 3 months of freshness.
- Flour: Tested with both Gold Medal All Purpose 10.5% protein & King Arthur All Purpose 11.7% protein
- Unsalted Butter: Tested with both European style butter 82% butterfat & American Butter 80% butterfat
Let your dough rest for 1 hour before rolling out. If the dough has been in the fridge longer than an hour, let it sit on the counter for about 15-20 minutes to warm slightly to room temperature before rolling out. If the dough springs back while rolling, it needs more resting time in the fridge. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Make the dough ahead and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Any longer than that and it's better to just freeze it, as the dough will start to turn a little grey in color. Not ready to bake just yet and want to freeze your pie dough? Double wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe plastic bag or air tight container for up to 3 months of freshness.