This Homemade All Butter Pie Crust recipe is an easy flaky pie crust from scratch. It's made with only 5 ingredients in 5 minutes in a food processor or by hand, and is the best pie crust recipe ever!
Cut 1 cup of butter into 1/2”-1” cubes. Place on a nonstick surface and put in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.
Chill the water.
Measure out ½ cup cold water and add 2-3 ice cubes, set aside.
Make the Crust in a Food Processor:
Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor fitted with an “S” blade and pulse to combine.
Add the butter and cold water and process until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, begins to stick together, and holds together when pinched.
Remove dough from processor (will be crumbly) and form into two discs about 1” thick.
Wrap both dough circles in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight container.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
Make the Crust by hand:
Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and stir to combine.
Add the chilled butter and cut it in with a pastry cutter, fork or your hands.
Add cold water and mix until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, begins to stick together, and holds together when pinched.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface (it will be crumbly) and form into two discs about 1” thick.
Wrap both dough circles in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight container.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
Roll and shape the bottom crust:
After the crust has chilled and you are ready to bake the pie, remove the pie crust dough from the refrigerator and roll one disc into a circle, about ¼ to ½ inches thick. (if it has been refrigerated overnight you will need to let it sit on the counter at room temperature until it is pliable).
Gently place the crust into pie plate and form it to look how you would like!
Place the crust in the pie dish in the refrigerator while you shape the top.
Roll and shape the top crust:
Repeat the procedure with the top crust. If you would like the top crust to be a simple circle, add it to the top of your pie after putting the filling in the bottom crust and bake according to the recipe instructions.
If you would like to make the top shape into a design, use pie crust cutters, braid the dough for the edges, or make a lattice crust. Then place the crust on top of the pie and bake according to the instructions in your recipe.
To blind bake a pie crust without filling) to add a no-bake filling:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
After you have shaped the bottom crust (half of the recipe) into the pie dish, line the pie crust with foil and fill it with dried beans or pie weights.
Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven; remove the foil and the beans or weights. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.
Bake 5 to 7 additional minutes, until the crust looks just barely browned. Let cool on a rack while you prepare the filling.
To bake pie crust dough shapes alone.
I still like to decorate some pie recipes with pie crust cutouts, like pumpkin pie, that do not typically call for a double pie crust. In this case I make a double pie crust and use the second disc to make the desired shapes – whether that be a braided edge, fun cutouts, etc.
To bake pie crust shapes alone, simply place them on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake them in the oven preheated to 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, or until they just begin to brown. Then you can place them on top of the pie in any pattern you choose!
Video
Notes
Ingredients and Substitutions
All-purpose flour. Pastry flour works well in place of all-purpose flour in this pie crust recipe. Also, a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour can be used, however you may need to adjust the amount of water accordingly.
Salted butter: Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter. For a dairy-free, vegan pie crust you can substitute vegan butter (like Earth balance)
Sugar. I love the slightly sweet and salty taste of this Flaky Homemade Butter Pie Crust, so I do not recommend omitting the sugar or replacing it if you are making this for a sweet recipe. Even for pot pies I enjoy this flavor, but if you want it to be savory you can omit the sugar.
Sea Salt. I always recommend baking with pure sea salt. If you have iodized table salt, you may need to decrease the amount of salt.
Egg Wash. this is totally optional! Heavy cream can also be used in place of eggs, or a 1:1 mixture of the two.