Flaky Butter Pie Crust
All Butter Pie Crust Recipe - The ONLY Flaky Butter Pie Crust Recipe You’ll Ever Need!
To be honest, I have always been intimidated by pie dough! I tried it a few times and I wasn’t happy with the results and because of those results, I stopped trying.
I love to watch baking videos on Youtube (I can watch them all day) and I came across this pie dough recipe. It seemed so easy and versatile, so I gave it a try.
After my first attempt at it, the dough was super easy to make and the end result was PERFECT! The pie crust was beautifully browned, SUPER flaky and DELICIOUS!! This is now my go-to pie dough recipe!
This dough can be made up to 4 days ahead, tightly wrapped, and stored in the refrigerator; or made 1 month ahead, tightly wrapped in a resealable plastic bag, and frozen.
EASY ALL BUTTER PIE CRUST RECIPE
My Go-To Dough Recipe!
PRO BAKING TIPS:
I learned three important tips when making a pie:
Use a metal pie plate. This helps with browning and even baking.
When you are ready to bake your pie, before preheating your oven put a baking sheet in the oven that is large enough for the pie to bake on. When you put your cold pie in the oven, the hot baking sheet will instantly start to cook the bottom of the pie helping you achieve a perfectly browned bottom.
You MUST keep your pie dough very cold. This will help you achieve a flaky pie crust in the end. Before starting to work on the filling, form your dough into your metal pie dish and stick it in the freezer while you are working on the filling.
Different Uses for Butter Pie Crust:
A butter pie crust is a versatile pastry that can be used in a variety of sweet and savory dishes. Here are some different ways to use a butter pie crust, with SEO optimization:
1. Sweet pies: A butter pie crust is the perfect base for all kinds of sweet pies, from classic apple pie to creamy pumpkin pie. Try filling your pie with your favorite fruit, custard, or cream filling for a delicious dessert.
2. Savory pies: Buttery pie crusts are not just for sweet dishes. Use them to create savory pies like quiche, chicken pot pie, or shepherd's pie. The rich and flaky crust pairs perfectly with savory fillings.
3. Tarts: A butter pie crust can also be used to create delicious tarts. Fill them with fruit, custard, or chocolate for a bite-sized treat that's perfect for a party or afternoon snack.
4. Turnovers: Turnovers are a fun and easy way to use up leftover pie crust. Simply fill the crust with your favorite filling, fold it over, and crimp the edges. Bake until golden brown for a delicious handheld snack.
5. Pigs in a Blanket: A butter pie crust can also be used to create savory snacks like pigs in a blanket. Wrap your favorite hot dogs or sausages in the crust, brush with egg wash, and bake until golden brown.
YIELD — Makes 2 discs of dough
Ingredients:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1¼ cups (2 sticks plus 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, chilled
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or distilled white vinegar
¼ cup ice water, plus more as needed
How to achieve a Flaky Butter Pie Crust:
A flaky butter pie crust is a delicious and versatile pastry that can be used for sweet or savory pies. Made with just a few simple ingredients, including flour, butter, salt, vinegar & water , this crust is both easy to make and incredibly flavorful.
Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. I like using metal bowls for this; it keeps the ingredients colder for longer. Using your hands, smash the butter between your palms and fingertips into the flour, creating long, flat, thin butter sheets and flaky bits. When most of it is incorporated, and there are no large chunks remaining, dump the flour mixture onto a work surface.
2. Combine the vinegar with the cold water and drizzle it over the flour. Using the tips of your fingers or a fork, run either through the flour mixture. Do this a few more times until it all starts coming together.
3. Using the palms of your hand, start kneading the dough, gathering up any dry bits from the bottom and placing them on the top to be incorporated. You can add 1, maybe 2 tablespoons water during this process if you feel the dough really needs it, but it should remain on the drier side; it will hydrate and become more tender as it hangs out in the fridge or freezer (a good way to know when to stop adding water is to grab a small amount of dough in your hand if when you close your hand and the dough holds together without feeling wet, you are good to go)
4. When you’ve got a shaggy mass of dough, knead it one or two more times, then divide it in half. Put that half on top of the other half and cut it half one more time (this step gives you more butter layers which will give you a flakier crust). Flatten each half into a disc about 1 inch thick. You will see the sheets of butter and that just tell you that your crust will be flaky and buttery!
5. Wrap each disc individually and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days or kept in your freezer for up to a month. One of the keys to achieving a flaky pie crust is to make sure that the butter stays cold throughout the entire process. This allows the butter to create pockets of steam as it melts in the oven, which creates the layers of flaky goodness that we all love.
Importance of chilling Pie Dough before baking:
It's important to keep your pie dough chilled before baking in order to achieve a flaky and tender crust. When you're working with a butter pie crust, the butter should be cold and solid so that it can create pockets of steam as it melts in the oven, which results in a flaky texture.
If the dough is too warm when you roll it out, the butter will melt too quickly and the dough will become greasy and tough. This can cause the dough to shrink during baking, resulting in a dense and tough crust.
Chilling the dough also allows the gluten in the flour to relax, which makes the dough more pliable and easier to work with. This makes it easier to roll out the dough to the desired thickness and shape, and helps prevent the dough from tearing or breaking.
To chill your pie dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour before rolling it out. You can also refrigerate the dough overnight if you want to make it ahead of time.
Recipe by Alison Roman
The DELICIOUS Final product!
If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments below!
Enjoy,
SiLLibake
xoxo