The secret to a really good pie is its crust! Ditch the store bought crust and learn how to make my family’s favorite all butter pie crust recipe. Read on for step-by-step photo instructions, tips and tricks that will teach you how to confidently make the perfect all butter pie crust.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Tips and Tricks
Variations
Storage
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Tips & Tricks
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I always thought making pie crust from scratch sounded daunting. Growing up, my mother straight up refused to make them.

It was only when I was living abroad and attempting to celebrate Thanksgiving far, far from creature comforts like cranberry jelly and candied sweet potatoes that I attempted the impossible. And once I had made pie crust from scratch once, I was hooked. Pie crusts aren’t that hard to get right. And if you’re still on the fence (Maybe I should just go buy one.), just know that a handmade pie crust always gets oohs and ahs from guests, no matter how full everyone proclaims to be. Watch them eat more than a sliver and then unbutton their pants. It’s the ultimate unspoken compliment.

Ingredients

AP Flour
Salt: Fun fact – the salt keeps the pie crust from shrinking while baking more so than adding flavor.
Sugar: If you’re baking a sweet pie, you’ll want to add at least a tablespoon of sugar to this crust, although you can increase to a quarter of a cup if you want a sweeter crust, and you can completely eliminate it if you want to use it for a savory filling.
Unsalted butter: I grew up using salted butter unabashedly in my baking. As an adult, I usually buy unsalted butter because I read something about salt impacting pliability of croissant dough, and thought that it might apply to other doughs: biscuits, pie, etc. Use either though.
Water: I use a tablespoon and dip it into a glass of ice water. The colder the better!

Instructions

Make the Pie Crust

A large mixing bowl with the sifted dry ingredients needed for the pie crust.

Hands dumping cubed butter into a flour mixture to make an all butter pie crust.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the 2 ½ cups flour, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar. Then use your fingers or a fork to cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal with a few pea-sized bits and flakes. In this step, you’re only breaking up the cold fat into tiny little flour-coated pieces; you’re not completely incorporating it. Do not overwork the ingredients.
At this point, turn the crust mixture out onto a clean surface, making a well in the center. Slowly add 6-7 tablespoons of ice cold water and then, using floured hands, start to knead the dough together until it comes together in a ball. Avoid overworking the dough. If it feels too dry or crumbly, add another tablespoon of the water and then continue bringing the dough together with your hands. If it feels too sticky, sprinkle on more flour and then continue bringing the dough together with your hands. Cut the dough in half. Then form into two separate balls flatten slightly before wrapping in plastic wrap.
Chill in the fridge for 2 hours or up to 3 days. Double wrap and freeze for up to two months.

Roll Out the Pie Crust

A little hand gently flouring the surface of the cold pie dough, ready to be rolled out.

Little hands and big hands on a rolling pin starting to roll out buttery pie crust.

Lightly flour a smooth work surface with flour. Place the dough on the floured surface and lightly flour the top of the dough and a rolling pin.
Working quickly and efficiently with firm even pressure, roll out the dough starting from the center and rolling out, then starting from the center and rolling toward you. Add more flour as needed under or over the dough or on your rolling pin, rotate it a quarter turn and repeat. Gently working the dough to ⅛th inch thick or slightly thinner.
Place the dough on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
You can also refrigerate first and then wrap and freeze between sheets of parchment paper for longer storage at this stage!
You are now ready to line a pie tin, tart mold, or make hand pies!

Tips and Tricks

Speed! Work quickly, keep the dough and ingredients cold and refrigerate the dough between each step. I often freeze my butter for 15 minutes prior to making this dough.
A little robo-help. You can use a food processor to help make this dough come together fast. I’ve found, however, that there is a texture difference in the final crust and that I prefer to mix this dough by hand. I think this is because when you cut the butter into the flour, you have more control over what those pieces look like and they’ll be all different sizes, which you do want.
Tough stuff. Overworking the dough can lead to a tough crust. The goal is to mix the ingredients just enough to combine them, which helps maintain the dough’s tenderness.
Let the good times roll! You’ll need to take your pie dough out of the fridge 10-15 minutes before you want to roll it out so that it isn’t rock hard. If you try rolling out really cold dough, I find it cracks easily at the edges. However, warm pie dough is unworkable. If you worry your dough has become too soft, transfer to a sheet of parchment paper and slide onto a baking sheet and chill for 10-15 minutes in the freezer.
Zzzzz… Resting pie dough in the fridge for a couple of hours or even overnight can help the crust be more tender, flaky, and less likely to shrink while baking.
Crunch! Use a coarse sanding sugar on top of hand pies or closed pies. It gives the crust an irresistible crunch that is still there on Day 2.

Variations

Add citrus zest or spices to the dry ingredients for an easy flavor variation.
Eliminate the sugar for a savory pie crust you can use to make quiche (or this tomato goat cheese galette).
Add up to a quarter cup of sugar if you want a sweeter crust.

Close up of a hand pie made with all butter crust.

Storage

Store prepared, wrapped dough in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or double wrapped in plastic and aluminum in the freezer for up to 2 months.

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