All Butter Pie Crust Recipe
This is your go to pie crust recipe for all of your sweet and savory recipes!
There’s nothing quite like a home baked pie on a pretty pie plate cooling on the counter. The smell fills your space, and it feels like days gone by, It truly is slow living at its finest. A good pie crust recipe is such a staple for your from scratch kitchen. I have used this crust in recipes like apple pie, pumpkin pie, coconut cream pie, chicken pot pie, and turkey pot pie! All The pie recipes! It is flakey, and delicious in any recipe. So let’s slow down and bake some pie today.
Also, check out my Fresh Milled flour pie crust recipe if you are into that sort of thing!
Blind Baking vs Par baking + How to
Blind baking fully bakes the crust before adding any filling. This is typically used for pies with fillings that don’t require baking, such as cheesecakes or lemon meringue pies. To blind bake, line the crust with parchment paper, fill it with pie weights, and bake until golden brown.
Par-baking partially bakes the crust. This is used for pies with fillings that need to be baked, such as fruit pies or custard pies. To par-bake, line the crust with parchment paper, fill it with pie weights, and bake for a shorter time than for blind baking. This pre-bakes the crust while allowing for further baking with the filling.
Tips for Pie Crust Perfection:
- Keep it Cold: Work quickly and keep all your ingredients as cold as possible. Use chilled bowls and utensils.
- Don’t Overmix: Overmixing will develop the gluten in the flour, resulting in a tough crust.
- Roll Gently: Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface, using gentle pressure to avoid overworking it.
- Use a Rolling Pin: Avoid using your hands to press down on the dough since your hands are warm.
- Make sure your dough will fit on the pie plate. Allow for excess so you can properly crimp and ensure your dough won’t shrink too much in the baking process.
- Don’t stretch the dough to fit the pie plate, stretching will cause it to shrink
- Practice Makes Perfect: Like any baking skill, making pie crust takes practice. Don’t get discouraged if your first attempt isn’t perfect.
- Use a pie shield or cover the crust in aluminum foil if the edges are browning too quickly. This will keep your crust from over-browning or burning.
How To Make All Butter Pie Crust
Makes 1 Pie Crust
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon Sugar (Optional, I only add for sweet pies)
- ½ cup butter, diced and then chilled
- ¼ cup ice cold water, or as needed
Step-by-step Instructions
- Whisk the Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
- Cut in the Butter:
- Using a Food Processor: Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Some small pea-sized pieces of butter are okay.
- Using Two Forks: If you don’t have a food processor, you can use two forks to cut in the butter.
- Add Ice Water Gradually: Sprinkle the ice water over the flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough just begins to come together. Be careful not to overmix.
- By Hand: Gently gather the dough into a ball. If the dough is too dry, add a teaspoon of ice water at a time. If it’s too wet, add a tablespoon of flour.
- Using a Food Processor: If using a food processor, pulse the dough until it just comes together. Be careful not to overprocess.
- Form the Dough: Pour out onto parchment paper and gather into a disc.
- Chill the Dough: Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 days). Chilling the dough is crucial for a flaky crust.
All Butter Pie Crust
Equipment
- 1 Food processor optional
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter diced and then chilled
- ¼ cup ice cold water or as needed
- 1 tablespoon Sugar Optional, I only add for sweet pies
Instructions
- Whisk the Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
- Cut in the Butter:
- Using a Food Processor: Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Some small pea-sized pieces of butter are okay.
- Using Two Forks: If you don’t have a food processor, you can use two forks to cut in the butter.
- Add Ice Water Gradually: Sprinkle the ice water over the flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough just begins to come together. Be careful not to overmix.
- By Hand: Gently gather the dough into a ball. If the dough is too dry, add a teaspoon of ice water at a time. If it’s too wet, add a tablespoon of flour.
- Using a Food Processor: If using a food processor, pulse the dough until it just comes together. Be careful not to overprocess.
- Form the Dough: Pour out onto parchment paper and gather into a disc.
- Chill the Dough: Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 days). Chilling the dough is crucial for a flaky crust.
