Consistent and versatile, my Nana's Flaky Pie Crust Recipe is the best you'll ever try! Made with only 5 ingredients, this easy all-butter pie crust can be made completely in your food processor and is perfect for both sweet & savory pies!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword pie crust recipe
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Total Time 10 minutesminutes
Servings 1layer
Calories 1390kcal
Ingredients
1 ¼cupsall-purpose flour
½ teaspoongranulated sugar
½teaspoonkosher salt
½ cup unsalted buttercold, cubed
¼ cupice water
Instructions
Add all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. If you have no food processor, simply whisk the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
Add half of the cold butter and pulse 6-8 times. Add the remaining butter and repeat the 6-8 pulses, until the mixture resembles coarse wet sand, with granules the size of peas. No processor: use a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingers to cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until you have pea-sized pieces.
Drizzle the ice water into the processor bowl, again in two batches. Pulse until the mixture is moist and dough clumps begin to appear.No processor: Add half of the ice water, then mix the dough with your hands. Add the remaining water and knead the dough with your fingers until well mixed, and a dough begins to form.
Transfer the dough to a lightly-floured surface and gently knead by hand until it just comes together in a cohesive ball. Flatten it to form a disc. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill until ready to use.
When ready to bake your pie, remove the crust from the refrigerator 20-30 minutes beforehand. Lightly flour a work surface and the top of the pie dough. Use a rolling pin and, starting from the center, roll until the dough is about a 1/8-inch thickness, and about 1/2-inch bigger than your pie pan is.
Using the rolling pin as a vehicle, roll the crust over the pin and transfer it to a pie pan. Press the pie dough lightly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.
If you're pre-baking the crust, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Poke the bottom and sides of the dough with a fork, then bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes.If not pre-baking, fill the crust with pie filling and bake according to directions for your pie recipe.
Notes
You can also use pastry flour in this recipe, but be aware that the final product will be more fragile. Using a wheat or white-wheat flour will yield a more savory crust.If using gluten free flour, be sure to add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum to help the structure.