Homemade Pie Crust Recipe
Now that pie season is upon us, I thought it appropriate to share my homemade pie crust recipe. This pie crust recipe is perfect for a variety of pie recipes and will be a staple recipe you’ll use for years to come.
Homemade Pie Crust
My homemade pie crust is an all-butter recipe. While some may argue for the use of shortening, I really avoid it. While it can contribute to a more perfect looking pie crust, I find that the taste is inferior to an all-butter crust.
There’s nothing more delicious than a homemade pie crust made entirely of good quality butter.
I also like to use unsalted butter for my recipe. It’s rare that I use salted butter in my baking recipes, the exception being my recipe for sable breton (French salted butter cookies).
Instead, salt (and sugar) are added to the dough to give it the proper seasoning.
For the brand of butter, I suggest just using the best quality butter you can afford. I love European brands, and when I want to make a pie for a special occasion or holiday, I will splurge and spend the money on a costlier brand.
But if you’re just making a pie for the weekend, for instance, then one of the typical brands you find in your grocery store will do just fine.
The most important tip I want you to know is that whenever you’re making pastry, it’s important to keep your ingredients chilled, especially the butter. You never want the butter in the dough to melt before it’s gone into the oven.
Any melting action should happen inside the oven. The steam that’s released from the cold butter melting inside chilled pastry will cause the pastry to rise and be flaky.
So just make sure your butter is cold when you add it to the dough and that you also chill the dough after you’re done working with it.
The resulting pie crust will be such a luxurious treat and compliment your favorite filling beautifully!
Homemade Pie Crust Recipe
A recipe for a homemade, all-butter pie crust. Recipe will yield 1 nine-inch pie crust.
Ingredients
- 1.25 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for sprinkling surface with
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold
Instructions
- Stir the flour, sugar and salt together in a large bowl, or mix with the paddle attachment in the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add the cold butter to the dry ingredients. If you're using a stand mixer, continue to mix on medium-low speed until you get pea-size clumps. If you're doing it by hand, either use a pastry cutter, a fork, or two knives to incorporate the butter into the flour mixture.
- Stream in a tablespoon of cold water and mix the dough to combine. Continue to stream in cold water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough clumps together and away from the sides of a bowl. Note: If you're using a stand mixer, wait about 15 seconds before adding the second and/or third tablespoons of cold water to give a chance for the dough to come together without adding unnecessary extra water. If you're doing it by hand, then you'll probably need at least 3 to 4 tablespoons of cold water to get your dough to come together.
- Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Use your hands to mold the dough into one large mass. Wrap the dough, then use the palm of your hand to flatten it out into a large disc. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle your work surface with flour. Take your dough out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, until it's cool but pliable. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out until it's about 1/8". Between rolling, make sure to stop and rotate the dough every now and then to create an even shape. You can also sprinkle your work surface and dough with flour as necessary to prevent it from sticking.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 1083