A nice, flakey pie crust is all about texture and technique. This all-butter pie crust is a no-frills, basic recipe that yields the best pie crust every time. And I’ve been on quite the pie crust journey, so I can definitely vouch for it.
This crust just uses flour, butter, salt, water, and your hands! No food processor, no vodka, no hacks/tricks/skips etc. Because for a good, old-fashioned, flakey and buttery pie crust, you just don’t need it you know?
There’s something so satisfying about biting into a tender, fall-apart, buttery, flakey pie crust, and this all-butter pie crust is the one basic recipe that will deliver on that result every time. Use is for your fruit pies, your winter galettes, your spring tarts – anything! It’s a good one to have in your back pocket, and it’s one of the most satisfying things to make.
Table of contents
Ingredients you will need for an all-butter pie crust
When I said it was simple, I meant it. This is as rustic of a crust as they come (you can’t beat the classics!) so this is what you need:
- 1 cup & 1 tbsp all-purpose flour 150 grams, plus more as needed for shaping and rolling
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 8 tbsp butter right from the refrigerator
- 3 tbsp ice water
Optional additions
- 2 tsp sugar if you are making a sweet crust
- 1 egg whisked together for egg wash
How to make this pie crust
I broke the instructions down into bullets, but really this recipe is all about faith. You really can’t mess it up too much, it will always be delicious, so just go for it! I like to think of it as adult Play-Dough, and once you’ve mastered the skill of an all-butter pie crust, you’ll always have it in your back pocket.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. If you are using sugar, add it in here. Remove your butter from the fridge, you want it as cold as possible. Cut the cold butter into 1’ pieces and toss in the flour.
- Make sure all the butter is coated in flour, and use your hands to press the butter into flat pieces, keeping some in large chunks, and others in smaller pieces. The dough should be rough, but not crumbly.
- When you can squeeze the dough and it comes together just slightly, but then immediately breaks apart, that’s when you are ready to add the ice water.
- Add in the ice water and continue to press and mix the dough with your hands, it should start to come together.
- Move the dough to a work surface and press the dough down until is is about 2″ high. Use a bench scraper to cut the dough into 3 pieces, pile the pieces on top of each other, and press them down. This is creating more lamination in the crust! Press the dough down into another 2″ high mound, rotate 90 degrees, and repeat the same process.
- *Note: I do not flour my work surface during the lamination process, but feel free to do so if your dough feels a bit warm or hard to handle, or if you see butter begin to break through. An easy way to fix a butter-break is to sprinkle a bit of flour over the exposed part!
- After lamination the dough a few times, press the dough down until it is about 1-2 inches thick, sprinkle it with flour, and use your hands to form it into a smooth disc.
- Tightly wrap the crust in cling wrap and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into the edges of the cling wrap, forming a tight rectangle.
How to store and use an all-butter pie crust
Another great (and important) question – they key thing is that pie crusts need to be chilled before you roll them out, and then chilled again before you bake them. The colder the better. This gives the butter a chance to keep its integrity, so it can give you all those big, light, fluffy and flakey layers!
How to use the dough
- When you are ready to use the pie crust, pull it out from the fridge or freezer and unwrap it on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle a bit more flour on top.
- Use a rolling pin to lightly hit and smack the dough to warm it up for use. Do this for a few minutes, occasionally annoying the neighbors 😉
- Begin rolling out the dough with even pressure. Rotate, flip and dust with more flour as needed.
- This dough is enough for one pie crust. Once it is shaped to your liking, chill it again in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking. This helps maintain the texture of the crust and your overall result!
How to bake the pie crust
- When you are ready to bake, remove the crust from the fridge.
- If you prefer a deep golden crust, whisk up an egg and use a brush to brush it onto the crust as an egg wash. Do this right before baking.
- Bake at 375F for 30 minutes or bake according to your particular recipe’s instructions.
Looking for ways to use this all-butter pie crust?
These recipes have their own crusts baked-in, but consider them a great starting point if you are looking for ideas! Here are my two favorites, one for summer and one for winter 🙂
And that’s it for this all-butter pie crust!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you
All-Butter Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1 cup & 1 tbsp all-purpose flour 150 grams, plus more as needed for shaping and rolling
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 8 tbsp salted butter right from the refrigerator
- 3 tbsp ice water
Optional additions
- 2 tsp sugar if you are making a sweet crust
- 1 egg whisked together for egg wash
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. If you are using sugar, add it in here. Remove your butter from the fridge, you want it as cold as possible. Cut the cold butter into 1’ pieces and toss in the flour.
- Make sure all the butter is coated in flour, and use your hands to press the butter into flat pieces, keeping some in large chunks, and others in smaller pieces. The dough should be rough, but not crumbly.
- When you can squeeze the dough and it comes together just slightly, but then immediately breaks apart, that's when you are ready to add the ice water.
- Add in the ice water and continue to press and mix the dough with your hands, it should start to come together.
- Move the dough to a work surface and press the dough down until is is about 2" high. Use a bench scraper to cut the dough into 3 pieces, pile the pieces on top of each other, and press them down. This is creating more lamination in the crust! Press the dough down into another 2" high mound, rotate 90 degrees, and repeat the same process.
- *Note: I do not flour my work surface during the lamination process, but feel free to do so if your dough feels a bit warm or hard to handle, or if you see butter begin to break through. An easy way to fix a butter-break is to sprinkle a bit of flour over the exposed part!
- After lamination the dough a few times, press the dough down until it is about 1-2 inches thick, sprinkle it with flour, and use your hands to form it into a smooth disc.
- Tightly wrap the crust in cling wrap and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into the edges of the cling wrap, forming a tight rectangle.
- From here you can either chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and then use it right away, keep it in the fridge for up to a week for use, or store it in the freezer for up to 6-8 months. The key is to keep it chilled before rolling and using.
How to use the dough
- When you are ready to use the pie crust, pull it out from the fridge or freezer and unwrap it on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle a bit more flour on top.
- Use a rolling pin to lightly hit and smack the dough to warm it up for use. Do this for a few minutes, occasionally annoying the neighbors 😉
- Begin rolling out the dough with even pressure. Rotate, flip and dust with more flour as needed.
- This dough is enough for one pie crust. Once it is shaped to your liking, chill it again in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking. This helps maintain the texture of the crust and your overall result!
How to bake the pie crust
- When you are ready to bake, remove the crust from the fridge.
- If you prefer a deep golden crust, whisk up an egg and use a brush to brush it onto the crust as an egg wash. Do this right before baking.
- Bake at 375F for 30 minutes or bake according to your particular recipe's instructions.
Perfect just what I was looking for! .