Description
Go all butter, or go home. It’s all about the flavor, and if you follow a few tips, your pie crust will be super flaky, too! Just keep everything cold. You’ll do great!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups (170g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (12g) sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 stick (113g) unsalted butter, frozen for 15–30 minutes
- 4–6 tablespoons ice water, plus more as needed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Coat the frozen stick of butter in the flour (to make it easier to handle) and grate the butter directly into the flour mixture, fluffing occasionally with your fingertips.
- Toss the grated butter with the flour (like tossing a salad) until well coated, and break up any larger clumps if they form. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Add three tablespoons of ice water and toss with the flour and butter in the bowl.
- Add more ice water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time until the dough begins to come together. As it comes together, fold it over a few times to ensure it’s all incorporated. The dough should hold together without noticeable cracks, but it should not be wet or tacky to the touch.
- Cut the dough in quarters and stack one on top of the next. Then flatten to form the dough a disk about 1″ thick. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using and up to 2 days. The dough can also be frozen, well wrapped, for up to 3 months, then thawed overnight in the refrigerator before use.
- To par-bake the dough: Let the rested dough sit on the counter for about 10 minutes. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough two inches larger than your pie dish (recommend no larger than 9″ pie dish for this dough). Turn as you roll to keep the dough from sticking to the counter. Add bits of flour as needed.
- Gently roll the dough onto the rolling pin and slide it onto the pie pan. Do not stretch the dough, but gently lift it into the corners. Trim to 1 inch from the edge of the pie plate and fold under the overhang. Crimp or decorate as you like. Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour before par-baking.
- Take a fork and prick the dough all over. This keeps it from puffing up. Then, crumple a sheet of parchment paper (affiliate link) and place it on the dough. Pour 2-3 pounds of pie weights or dry beans on the parchment. This also ensures the dough won’t puff up while par-baking.
- Place in a preheated 400° oven and bake for 15 minutes. Carefully remove parchment and beans or pie weights and place back in the oven for another 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove and cool on a wire rack.
Notes
This recipe can be doubled.
* The amount of water depends on how ‘thirsty’ your flour is.