Description
A buttery, flaky homemade pie crust made with cold butter and ice water for crisp golden layers and a tender texture. This versatile pastry works beautifully for both sweet and savory pies.
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided (360g)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes (227g)
4 to 6 tablespoons ice water (60–90ml)
Instructions
- Add 1½ cups (180g) of the flour, granulated sugar, and salt to a food processor. Pulse a few times until evenly combined.
- Add half of the cold cubed butter and process for about 30 seconds, until the mixture is very crumbly and just begins to come together.
- Add the remaining butter and remaining 1½ cups of flour. Pulse twice to distribute the ingredients while leaving pieces of butter intact.
- Drizzle in 4 tablespoons (60ml) of ice water and pulse a few times. If the dough is too dry, add additional ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing once or twice after each addition. Stop when the dough holds together when squeezed without becoming wet or sticky.
- Transfer the dough to a clean work surface and gently bring it together into a ball without kneading.
- Divide the dough into two equal portions and gently flatten each portion into a disc.
- Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before rolling and using in your chosen pie recipe.
Notes
Keep the butter and water very cold to help create flaky layers.
Avoid kneading or overworking the dough, which can make the crust tough.
For a sweeter dessert crust, slightly increase the granulated sugar.
For savory pies and quiches, omit the sugar or add dried herbs, finely grated Parmesan, black pepper, or other savory seasonings.
A small portion of the all-purpose flour can be replaced with whole-wheat flour for a subtle whole-grain flavor.
Without a food processor, combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, cut in the cold butter with a pastry cutter or fingertips, and gradually add the ice water.
Refrigerate tightly wrapped dough discs for up to 3 days or freeze securely wrapped discs for several months. Thaw frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator before rolling.
A fully baked, unfilled crust can be kept well covered at room temperature for 1 to 2 days and briefly warmed in a low oven to restore crispness.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Pastry
- Method: Food Processor
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 pie crust disc
- Calories: 1160 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 1170 mg
- Fat: 92 g
- Saturated Fat: 58 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 29 g
- Trans Fat: 4 g
- Carbohydrates: 75 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 244 mg
