Description
A classic, flaky, buttery pie crust inspired by a grandmother’s timeless method, perfect for sweet and savory pies.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: 2 1/2 cups
- Unsalted Butter (cold, cubed): 1 cup
- Salt: 1 teaspoon
- Granulated Sugar: 1 tablespoon
- Ice Water: 6 to 8 tablespoons
Instructions
- Chill Equipment: Place your mixing bowl, pastry cutter or fork, and rolling pin in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to keep ingredients cold.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Combine 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar in a chilled mixing bowl, stirring to distribute evenly.
- Cut in Butter: Add 1 cup cold, cubed unsalted butter and cut into the flour with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter.
- Add Ice Water: Drizzle in 6 tablespoons ice water a tablespoon at a time, gently stirring until the dough just begins to come together. Add up to 2 more tablespoons if needed, but avoid over-wetting.
- Form Disks: Gather the dough into two disks (for a double crust) or one disk for a single crust, pressing gently to bring it together; do not overwork the dough.
- Wrap and Chill: Wrap disks tightly in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before rolling.
- Roll Out: On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough from the center outward to an even circle to fit your pie dish (typically 9 inches). Transfer to the pie dish and trim or crimp edges as desired.
- Blind Bake (if required): For a prebaked shell, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line the crust with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes, remove weights and parchment, then bake an additional 8 to 12 minutes until golden.
- Finish: Brush with egg wash or milk for a glossy finish if desired, then cool slightly before filling for filled pies or proceed with your pie filling and final bake as directed in your pie recipe.
- Store or Freeze: Unbaked dough can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 3 months. Baked crust stores in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Notes
- Keep all ingredients and equipment cold for the flakiest crust.
- Handle the dough gently and do not overwork it to avoid a tough crust.
- Use a light dusting of flour when rolling to prevent sticking but avoid adding too much flour which dries the dough.
- Freeze dough for 10 minutes before baking if you notice it shrinking while blind baking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes (plus 1 hour chilling)
- Cook Time: 25 minutes (for blind baking; final bake time depends on filling)
- Category: Baking, Pastry
- Method: Mixing, Rolling, Blind Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of finished double crust (approximate)
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 45 mg
Keywords: pie crust, homemade pie crust, flaky pie crust, grandmother's pie crust, baking, pastry