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Tender Butter-Only Pie Crust Recipe Easy Perfect Homemade Pie Dough That Actually Works

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A simple and reliable pie crust made exclusively with butter, flour, salt, and ice water, delivering a tender, flaky, and buttery crust perfect for sweet or savory pies.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 ½ cups (315g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 6–8 tablespoons (90-120ml) ice-cold water

Instructions

  1. Chill your butter and water: Cut the unsalted butter into ½-inch cubes and place in the fridge. Keep your water in a small bowl over ice to stay very cold.
  2. Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine 2 ½ cups (315g) all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt. Stir briefly to distribute the salt evenly.
  3. Cut in butter: Add the cold butter cubes to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, quickly cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces.
  4. Add ice water gradually: Drizzle 6 tablespoons (90ml) of ice water over the mixture. Gently mix with a fork or your hands until the dough begins to clump. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed, until the dough just holds together when pressed.
  5. Form the dough: Gather the dough into a ball, then divide it in half. Flatten each half into a disk about 1-inch thick. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days.
  6. Roll out the crust: Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll one dough disk into a 12-inch (30cm) circle, turning occasionally to prevent sticking. Let rest if cracks appear.
  7. Fit into pie dish: Transfer the rolled dough to a 9-inch (23cm) pie plate. Press gently without stretching. Trim excess dough leaving about a 1-inch overhang. Fold under edges and flute or crimp as desired.
  8. Chill before baking: Refrigerate the crust for 30 minutes to prevent shrinking during baking.
  9. Bake as needed: For blind baking, line crust with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 20 minutes, remove weights, then bake another 10 minutes until golden. For filled pies, follow specific baking times.

Notes

Keep butter and water very cold to ensure a tender crust. Do not overwork the dough to avoid toughness. Chill dough for at least 1 hour before rolling. Blind bake crust for wet fillings to prevent sogginess. Use a small bowl of flour to dust rolling surface to prevent sticking. Cover edges with foil if browning too fast.

Nutrition

Keywords: butter pie crust, homemade pie dough, tender pie crust, easy pie crust, flaky pie crust, butter-only crust, pie dough recipe

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