Description
Mastering the all-butter pie crust recipe reveals culinary magic that elevates home baking to professional heights. Flaky, golden layers promise delectable moments of pure pastry pleasure when you embrace this timeless technique.
Ingredients
Scale
Primary Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Seasoning Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (omit for savory pies)
Liquid Ingredients:
- 6–8 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a spacious mixing vessel, whisking thoroughly to ensure even distribution of dry ingredients.
- Incorporate frigid, cubed butter into the flour mixture, utilizing a pastry blender or fingertips to methodically break down the butter until the texture resembles rustic, coarse breadcrumbs with distinct butter pockets.
- Introduce glacial water incrementally, carefully folding and integrating each tablespoon until the dough achieves a cohesive consistency that maintains structural integrity when gently compressed without exhibiting excessive moisture.
- Consolidate the delicate dough into a unified mass, delicately separating it into two symmetrical portions and transforming each into a flattened circular silhouette.
- Envelop each dough disc securely in transparent membrane, allowing them to rest and relax within the refrigerator’s cool environment for a minimum of sixty minutes, permitting gluten networks to stabilize.
- Liberate a chilled dough disc onto a generously dusted work surface, skillfully manipulating it into a expansive circular configuration approximately twelve inches in diameter, thin enough to drape elegantly within a nine-inch pie vessel.
- Carefully transport the transformed dough, trimming excess margins and artfully crimping the perimeter to create an aesthetically pleasing and structurally sound edge.
- For recipes requiring a pre-baked foundation, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit, strategically layering parchment within the crust and populating it with ceramic weights to prevent unwanted rising, then bake until the edges acquire a golden, tempered appearance.
Notes
- Keep butter extremely cold to ensure a flaky, tender crust that doesn’t become tough or greasy.
- Use a light touch when mixing to prevent overworking the dough, which can make the crust dense and chewy.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute all-purpose flour with a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend that includes xanthan gum.
- Add extra flavor by incorporating herbs, spices, or a pinch of ground nuts into the dry ingredient mixture for a unique twist on the classic pie crust.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 580
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 44 g
- Saturated Fat: 28 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 46 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 100 mg