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Pie Crust · All-Butter Double Crust

Flaky All-Butter Pie Crust (Double Crust)

Tender, flaky, buttery pastry made by hand with a pastry blender: enough for one double-crust or lattice pie, or two single-crust pies. Includes how to roll it out and how to blind bake it.

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Prep
25 min
Total
1 hr 35 min
Serves
8 · 2 crusts (one double-crust 9-inch pie)
Level
Medium

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (315 g), plus more for rolling
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, very cold, cut in 1/2-inch cubes (227 g)
  • ⅜–½ cups ice water

Steps

  1. Cut the butter into cubes, spread them on a plate and freeze them so they stay firm while you work.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar and salt.
  3. Add the butter and toss to coat. Cut it in with a pastry blender until the pieces range from peas to almonds. Visible butter chunks make flaky layers.
  4. Drizzle 6 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture, tossing with a fork as you go.
  5. Squeeze a handful of dough. If it holds together, it is ready. If it falls apart, add more ice water 1 tablespoon at a time.
  6. Tip the dough onto the counter and gather it together with a bench scraper. Cut it in half.
  7. Press each half into a smooth disk about 1 inch thick and wrap it tightly in plastic.
  8. Refrigerate the disks before rolling.
  9. To roll: let a disk sit out briefly so it does not crack. Flour the counter and the top of the dough.
  10. Roll from the center outward, giving the dough a quarter turn every few rolls, into a 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Dust with flour if it sticks.
  11. Loosely roll the dough around the rolling pin and unroll it over a 9-inch pie dish. Ease it into the corners without stretching.
  12. Trim the edge to a 1/2-inch overhang with scissors or a knife. Fill and top as your pie recipe directs, or fold the overhang under and crimp for a single crust.

Tip: Keep everything cold. If the butter gets soft and greasy, chill the bowl for 15 minutes before adding water.

Tip: To blind bake a single crust: chill the crimped crust 30 minutes, line it with parchment, fill it with dried beans, and bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. Lift out the beans and bake 10 to 15 minutes more until golden.

Tip: A little dough that cracks at the edges while rolling can be pinched back together.

Storage: Wrapped disks keep in the fridge up to 2 days.

Make ahead: Freeze the wrapped disks in a bag up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling.

Estimated nutrition per serving: 350 calories · protein 4 g · carbohydrates 32 g · fiber 1 g · sugars 2 g · fat 23 g (saturated 14 g) · sodium 220 mg. Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 5 of 5 ingredients.