All-butter Pie Crust
This easy all-butter pie dough recipe makes a flaky, versatile pie crust for any pie recipe. Whether its a Thanksgiving pie, a classic apple pie, a savory chicken pot pie, or a cold-set pie, this pie shell is the perfect base for all of them. This recipe yields enough dough for two pie crusts, so you can either make two separate pie shells or one double-crusted pie.
Equipment
- 1 Electric mixer with paddle attachment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 Knife or bench scraper
Ingredients
- 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 12 ounces unsalted butter, cold (3 sticks)
- 6 oz cold water
Instructions
- Start by adding the flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Stir slightly to combine.
- Keep the butter refrigerated until you are ready. Cut the butter into small cubes, then add all the cubes of butter to the bowl of flour at the same time.
- Mix on medium to low speed until the butter is dispersed and pea-sized crumbs form. This may take a few minutes, but stay close by to make sure you don't overmix. The texture should be grainy and clumpy. It's ok if there are still a few larger chunks of butter, but most of the pieces should be smaller. To test the texture, stop the mixer and squeeze a handful of mixture in your fist. If the flour mixture sticks together, it's ready. On the other hand, you'll know it's overmixed if the butter melts and a sticky dough forms at this stage.
- Slowly add the cold water and mix until a dough forms. Mix until just combined, not any longer.
- Turn out dough onto a floured surface and pat together into a ball. Knead the dough once or twice to combine any crumbs and smooth out the dough's texture. Do not overwork the dough.
- With a knife or bench scraper, cut the dough ball into two halves. Pat each half into a flattened disk. Wrap each disk individually in 2 sheets of plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling. These pie dough disks can also be frozen immediately for up to 6 months.
Notes
Make ahead: I definitely recommend making your pie crusts ahead of time, especially for Thanksgiving or any big holiday. Since they take some time to chill any way, make them the day before, week before (if stored in the fridge), or even months before (if frozen). I always keep one or two pie dough disks in my freezer for whenever inspiration strikes!
Storage: Store pie dough disks in the fridge, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to a week. Before using, let the dough sit on the counter for a about 10-15 minutes, just until it's pliable enough to roll. Don't let it come to room temperature, as this will soften the butter too much and actually make it harder to roll.
Freezing: Freeze the pie dough disks, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 6 months. To thaw, remove from the freezer and let the disks thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, follow the steps above under "storage" when you're ready to roll the pie dough.
Baking: Use this pie dough in any pie recipe, just bake according to the recipe's instructions.