This all butter pie crust recipe is flaky, buttery and tender. A professional pastry chef gives you all her tips for the perfect butter pie crust that won’t shrink! This recipe has over 240,000 views on YouTube.
Whisk together pastry flour, salt and sugar. Using your preferred method cut in the butter until you have pea sized pieces.
If you are using a bench scraper, pastry blender or two knives, you will chop the butter into the flour using an up and down motion, corralling the flour back into the center occasionally. If you are using the stand mixer or food processor, leave slightly larger pieces. When using a food processor to cut in butter using the pulse option and watch it like a hawk. Leave slightly larger pieces then you would for other methods.
Remove the ice cubes from your water. Slowly begin to add your ice water a tablespoon at a time. If making it by hand, pour into the center of the flour and gently toss the flour into the water with the bench scraper, knife or a fork until you have a crumbly mixture. At this point be very careful with the amount of water that you add because it only needs a few teaspoons more.
When your dough is shaggy, which means it looks like shards or strands of pastry, and there is still some loose flour, turn out your dough from the mixer or food processor and work the dough together by gathering it and pressing away from you with the heal of your hand. Do this JUST until it comes together. If it is crumbling, then dip your hand in a little ice water and pat it on the pastry dough. Seriously, that’s it. Remember the gluten!
Divide the dough in half and press each half into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours or overnight. If you chill your dough overnight, you will need to let it rest a bit before rolling or it will be too cold and it will crack.
Roll and do whatever your little heart desires with that gorgeous, buttery dough!
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Notes
Yield – This recipe makes two pie crusts, so enough for 2 single crust pies or 1 double crust pie. I suggest making 1.5x if making a latticed pie or a deep dish pie. Technique – Work quickly, keep the dough and ingredients cold and refrigerate the dough between each step.Variations – Add citrus zest or spices to the dry ingredients for an easy flavor variation.Storage – Store prepared, wrapped dough in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.Substitutions – Substitute pastry flour for the all-purpose flour if desired. Please do not use cake or bread flour. Prep time varies by the method you choose:Food Processor- 4 minutes Stand Mixer- 7 minutes Pastry Blender- 7 minutes Bench Scraper- 10 minutes Two Knives- 12 minutes