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Flaky Butter Pie Crust

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If you find homemade flaky Butter Pie Crust to be intimidating then this is the recipe for you!  With only 4 simple ingredients you’ll become a pastry master creating beautiful and delicious homemade pies in no time!

 

 

Imagine yourself at Thanksgiving. You know the kind you see in the movies and not the real life version. You’ve eaten yourself silly tasting every single dish on the table, had time to digest it for a few hours, and now it’s time for pie.

No matter what flavor you choose from Apple Crumb Pie to Chocolate Pie or even Key Lime Pie, the one thing that will make or break that pie, is the crust. Is it tough or flaky? It’s it too thick, too thin or just right?

Some people think the pie crust is the hardest part to get right in a homemade pie. I fully disagree. This Butter Pie Crust recipe is easy, flaky just as any crust should be, and oh so tasty!

Don’t fret over making your own flaky pie crust, just trust this easy Pie Crust recipe and you’ll be the star of the day!

 

 

How to make Flaky Butter Pie Crust:

If you love easy recipes, you’ll love this one since it only has 4 ingredients!. The simplicity of this Butter Pie Crust recipe makes it easy for anyone to bake! The simpler the better I always say and that is definitely the case for this recipe. These common household ingredients will help you create the most flaky butter pie crust:

  • All Purpose Flour: This is the base, most important ingredient to make the crust.
  • Salt: Salt is the best thing to enhance flavor.
  • Butter: This will help give structure to the batter and important to making it buttery.
  • Iced Water: The cold water is what helps keep all the fat in the crust, which is what gives the crust its flaky texture.

 

 

Pro Tips:

  1. If you want a flaky crust, you need to use cold ingredients.  This is extremely important.
  2. To make sure your crust doesn’t burn, I suggest you use a pie shield, which protects the edges of your crust and keeps them from getting too dark.
  3. If you need a double crust recipe, I suggest making this recipe twice so that your portions stay equal.

 

 

How to make Butter Pie Crust from scratch:

Making pie dough is a lot simpler than some might think. As long as you follow the ingredients exactly then you are sure to have a perfect crust every time you make it. 

 

 

How to blind bake a pie crust:

What is blind baking you may ask? Well it’s quite simple. Blind baking is baking the pie crust without any filling in it. 

Why would you want to do that? Well baking your crust without a filling will actually make it flakier. If your pie filling doesn’t need to be baked, then you’ll want a blind bake pie crust.  First bake it, then fill it and chill it, it’s that easy!

To blind bake a pie crust you’ll want to buy some pie weights or a bag of dry beans.  Any beans will work.  I keep a jar full in my pantry for just these occasions.  Simply place your crust into the pan, and gently pierce the bottom and edges with a fork – to prevent air bubbles.  

Gently place a layer of non-stick foil or parchment paper on top of your crust and place your pie weights or beans on the foil or paper.  Then bake your pie crust for half the time required. When your timer goes off (for half the recommended time) remove your crust from the oven.  Remove the foil or parchment with your pie weights or beans and return your crust back to the oven to finish baking.  

 

 

What does it mean to Flute a Pie Crust:

Fluting pie crust simply means to connect a top pie crust with the bottom pie crust, thus creating a seam.. Make sure your bottom crust hangs over your pie by at least 1 to 2 inches. Roll the edges of the crust underneath itself to create a thicker layer on top. After you’ve done that then you will go around and crimp the entire top of the crust. 

 

 

How to roll out a butter pie crust:

The trick to rolling out a flaky pie crust is flour, patience and no mistakes.

Flour – You’ll want to flour the work surface you’ll be rolling your dough out onto as well as your rolling pin and a sprinkle of flour on top of your crust so the rolling pin doesn’t stick. If you prefer not to add extra flour to your crust you can roll your dough between two sheets of parchment paper.

Patience –  Your chilled dough will at first seem impossible to roll out.  Start with short rolls.  And roll in different directions.  Slowly you’ll start to see your crust expand onto your work surface and create that perfect circular pie crust.  Make sure to roll your circle out to 2 – 3 inches past your pie plate so you can flute your edges.

No Mistakes – If you want a flaky crust, that means you get one chance to roll it out.  If you make a mistake and want to start over you can.  However that means your crust will be a little less flaky, especially if you used a floured surface.  Not only will it be warmer from already being worked but it makes your crust tougher too.  Don’t worry, it will still taste great, but if you want a super flaky crust, roll it out on your first try.  

 

 

Looking for some pie recipes to use this crust with. Here are a few you will love:

More Pie Ideas that You’ll Love:

Getting a perfect crust for your pie can be one of the hardest parts of baking a pie. Once you try this flaky butter pie crust recipe you will never have to worry about having subpar pie crust ever again. I’m sure we’ve all eaten a pie and just couldn’t swallow the crust, but with this recipe no one will leave any part of your flaky butter pie crust behind!

 

Yield: 1 single crust

Flaky Butter Pie Crust

Flaky Butter Pie Crust
Prep Time 15 minutes
Inactive Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
  • 1/4 cup ice water + 2 teaspoons

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.
  2. Using a pasty blender or forks, cut in cold butter until mixture resembles pea sized crumbs.
  3. Stir in 1/4 cup water, a tablespoon at a time (4 Tablespoons total), until mixture forms a ball. May be slightly sticky. If dough is dry, add 1 teaspoon of cold water and a second teaspoon if needed.
  4. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
  5. On a floured surface, roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate.
  6. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.
  7. Decorate or crimp edges.
  8. Chill or freeze crust again until nice and cold
  9. Bake according to the fillings directions.

Notes

This recipe is for a SINGLE crust. Double this recipe for a double pie crust.

If you have leftover crust, make Pie Crust Cookies!

Originally Posted: November 13, 2014

Photos & Text Updated: July 21, 2020

 

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D

Thursday 14th of December 2023

When I took pastry ball out of the refrigerator after about 20 hours, it was as hard as a rock.

Barb C

Wednesday 10th of March 2021

Hi! This looks like a great recipe. I haven't made pie crust for many years - I've been using store bought. I'm sure it's fine for some stuff, but definitely not quiche. I have a 'soggy bottom' every single time. Even when I partially blind bake it. I'm using Julia Child's recipe, and she says no need to blind bake. What do you think? And if I should blind bake it, how long do you think it should be in the oven? Thank you so much.

Janelle

Saturday 20th of March 2021

Barb, I know Julia Child has amazing recipes, and great tips. I blind bake my crust for quiche every time and have great results. This is the recipe I use for quiche and have great results with this crust recipe: https://numstheword.com/quiche-lorraine/. The only other thing I can think of is perhaps your crust is too thin. Try a thicker crust and see if that helps. Good luck!

BETH MAURER

Friday 27th of November 2020

Thank you so much for this recipe- it came out AMAZING! Can you help me understand- if I wanted to use another filling recipe, would I need to blind bake the crust first? Or half the time? What if the other recipe calls for temps other than 375? I'm a newbie baker, so I appreciate your tips and kindness!

Janelle

Wednesday 16th of December 2020

Hi Beth! Sorry to not respond right away. If your pie is a no cook pie, you'll always want to blind bake the crust and then finish baking it before you add your filling. If you are making a pie that will cook IN the shell, then you shouldn't need to blind bake the crust. I hope this helps!

Rose miller

Saturday 17th of October 2020

My crust turned out hard, I didn’t chill the dough is that why

Janelle

Wednesday 16th of December 2020

Yes. Pie Crust in order to be flaky, NEEDS to be chilled and not overworked. If you overwork your dough it will be tough too. Sorry it didn't turn out.

Suzy

Wednesday 22nd of July 2020

This was really super easy to make! Love how it tasted with my cherry pie!

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