Description

This classic flaky pie crust recipe produces a tender and buttery base perfect for both sweet and savory pies. Made with simple ingredients like all-purpose flour, cold butter, and ice water, this crust achieves a delicate, flaky texture by cutting cold butter into the flour and chilling the dough before rolling. Ideal for blind baking or filling, it sets the foundation for any pie, from fruit-filled desserts to quiches.

Ingredients

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Pie Crust Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar (optional, for sweet pies)
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
6–8 tablespoons ice water

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Instructions

Mix Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, and granulated sugar if you’re making a sweet pie. This ensures an even distribution of dry ingredients.
Cut in Butter: Add the cold, cubed unsalted butter to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to blend until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized chunks of butter visible. The cold butter helps create flakes in the crust.
Add Ice Water: Slowly drizzle in 6 to 8 tablespoons of ice water while tossing the mixture with a fork. Add just enough water until the dough starts to come together and can hold its shape without being wet or sticky.
Form Dough: Gather the dough into a ball, then divide it into two equal disks. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to chill, allowing the gluten to rest and the butter to firm up.
Roll Out: On a lightly floured surface, roll out one chilled disk into a 12-inch circle, large enough to fit a 9-inch pie pan. Trim any excess dough around the edges, leaving a slight overhang for crimping.
Assemble Pie: Transfer the rolled dough to your pie pan and gently press it into place. Use this crust as needed for single or double-crust pies. You can proceed with blind baking or adding your desired pie filling according to your specific recipe.
Bake: Follow the baking instructions of your individual pie recipe. This pie crust can be baked blind or baked along with the pie filling depending on your pie type.

Notes

Keep all ingredients as cold as possible to achieve maximum flakiness in the crust.
Do not overwork the dough to avoid developing gluten, which can make the crust tough.
Resting the dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour helps hydrate the flour and solidify the butter.
The optional sugar is best included for sweet pies; omit it for savory pies.
If the dough feels too dry during rolling, you can sprinkle a small amount of ice water to soften it slightly.
For blind baking, use pie weights or dried beans to prevent the crust from puffing.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes (if blind baking)
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American