This flaky pie crust recipe uses butter and a few simple ingredients, making it an easy-to-make homemade crust with a rich, buttery flavor that’s perfect for both sweet and savory pies.
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Ingredients you will need
Flour: You’ll need all-purpose flour to make this flaky pie crust recipe.
Salt and sugar: If you’re making savory pie, you can skip adding sugar.
Unsalted butter: Cube the butter and place it in the freezer for 10 minutes before mixing it with the dry ingredients.
Water: You might need a little bit more or less water than stated in the recipe card. Follow the visual clues and stop adding water once the dough comes together.
Looking for more sweet recipes made with flaky pastry? Then you will love these Puff Pastry Cinnamon Twists, this heavenly delicious Apple Tarte Tatin, or these easy-to-make Apple Turnovers.
Tips for flaky pie crust
Keep ingredients cold: Just like with Rough puff pastry or Danish pastry, the temperature of the ingredients in this Flaky pie crust recipe is crucial. Ensure that your butter and water are ice cold to help create those coveted flaky layers.
Handle with care: Overworking the dough can result in a tough and chewy crust. So once you have added all the water to the dry ingredients, don't knead it. Just press it until the dough comes together in a ball.
Rest the Dough: Resting the dough in the fridge allows the butter to firm up and the gluten to relax, making it easier to roll out and resulting in a flakier crust.
How to make homemade pie dough
Combine Dry Ingredients: Start by combining the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Pulse a couple of times to mix the ingredients.
Incorporate Butter: Add ⅔ of the cold butter cubes to the flour mixture in the food processor. Pulse until the butter is fully coated in flour and resembles pea-sized pieces. Then, transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the remaining butter cubes. Using your hands, gently work the butter into the flour, making sure to leave visible chunks. These larger chunks of butter help create a flaky texture in the final crust.
Add Water Gradually: Begin adding the ice-cold water to the mixture, 2-3 tablespoons at a time. Use a fork to mix the water in after each addition. The dough should start to come together but still look crumbly. Test it by squeezing a small handful; if it holds together, it's ready. If it crumbles, continue adding extra water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough has the right consistency.
Shape and Chill the Dough: Divide the dough into two equal parts. Place each part onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a disc. Wrap each piece tightly and place them in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Roll Out the Dough: Once the dough has chilled, take it out of the refrigerator and place it on a floured surface. Gently roll it out with a rolling pin, working from the center outward to maintain an even thickness. The dough should be about ¼ inch (½ cm) thick and large enough to fit your pie dish.
Prepare for Baking: Carefully transfer the rolled-out dough to your pie dish. Trim any excess dough hanging over the edges and crimp the edges to create a decorative border. If you're making a double-crust pie, roll out the second piece of dough and prepare it for the top crust or lattice.
How to bake your perfect pie crust
Once you've prepared your flaky pie dough, the next step is baking it. Whether you're making a classic fruit pie, a savory quiche, or a pie that requires a pre-baked crust, knowing the different baking techniques is important. Here’s a guide to help you bake your pie crust to perfection.
Blind Baking
Blind baking is the process of pre-baking a pie crust without any filling. This technique is used for pies where the filling is added after the crust is baked.
- Prepare the Dough: Roll out your chilled dough on a floured surface to fit your pie pan. Transfer the dough to the pan, pressing it gently to fit snugly along the bottom and sides. Trim any excess dough, leaving about an inch overhang and crimp the edges.
- Dock the Dough: Prick the bottom using a fork. This helps prevent air bubbles from forming during baking.
- Add Weights: Line the dough with parchment paper or aluminum foil, then fill it with pie weights, dried beans, or rice. This keeps the dough from puffing up.
- Bake: Preheat your oven to 425F (220C). Place the crust into the oven and reduce the heat to 375F (195C). Bake the crust for 18-20 minutes, until the edges start to turn golden.
- Remove Weights: Carefully remove the parchment paper and weights, and bake for an additional 15 -20 minutes until the crust is fully baked and golden brown.
- Cool: Allow the crust to cool completely before adding your filling like in this Chocolate pie.
Baking a pie with a top crust
For double-crust pies (such as apple pie) or lattice-topped pies, the process is slightly different.
- Prepare the Bottom Crust: Roll out the bottom crust and fit it into your pie pan as described above. Fill the crust with your desired filling.
- Prepare the Top Crust: Roll out the second piece of dough. You can either cover the pie completely or create a lattice top. For a full top crust, cut slits to allow steam to escape.
- Seal and Trim: Trim any excess dough and crimp the edges to seal the top and bottom crusts together. Brush the top crust with an egg wash (1 beaten egg with 1 tablespoon of water) for a golden finish.
- Bake: Preheat your oven to 400F (200C). Bake the pie for 45-55 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling. If the top browns too quickly, cover it with aluminum foil.
Par-Baking
Par-baking, or partially baking the crust, is useful for pies with wet fillings that need a longer baking time than the crust itself, such as quiches, pumpkin pies or certain fruit pies.
- Prepare the Dough: Fit the rolled-out dough into your pie pan, crimp the edges and dock the bottom with a fork.
- Add Weights: Line with parchment paper and add pie weights as in blind baking.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 425F (220C). Bake for about 15 minutes, until the edges start to set but not fully brown.
- Remove Weights: Remove the parchment and weights, then bake for another 5 minutes if the bottom is still very wet.
- Add Filling: Proceed with adding your filling and bake according to your recipe’s instructions.
Flavor variations
You can easily customize this flaky pie crust recipe to create different flavors. For savory pies and quiches, incorporate finely chopped herbs like rosemary or thyme into the dough, or add a bit of grated cheese for extra richness. If you're making a sweet pie like this Homemade apple pie or this Pumpkin pie, try mixing in a pinch of cinnamon, nutmeg, or lemon zest to complement fruit fillings. Additionally, a touch of vanilla extract works well for desserts like cream pies or tarts.
FAQ
To store pie dough, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days. Be sure to let the dough come to room temperature for a few minutes before rolling it out to make it easier to handle.
Yes, you can freeze pie dough. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and then in a piece of foil and freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight before rolling.
Yes, you can freeze a baked pie crust. Allow the crust to cool completely after baking, then wrap it in plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil. It can be frozen for up to 2 months. To use, thaw the crust at room temperature or in the refrigerator before filling it.
Recipe card
Flaky pie crust recipe
Equipment
- Digital kitchen scale
- Food processor
- Mixing bowl
- Plastic wrap
- Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 350 g all-purpose flour plus more for rolling out
- 250 g unsalted butter cold, cut into cubes
- 1 tablespoon sugar optional
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 110 ml ice cold water more or less as needed
Instructions
- Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor by pulsing a couple of times.
- Add ⅔ of the butter cubes and pulse 5 times or until the butter is fully coated in flour and is in pea-sized pieces.
- Place the mixture into a large mixing bowl and add the rest of the butter. Work the dough with your hands until all the butter is coated in flour and there are still large chunks of butter visible.
- Add cold water 2-3 tablespoons at a time, mixing with a fork between each addition. Once all the water is in, the dough should look very crumbly but will hold together if you squeeze some in your hand. You may need slightly more or less water to hydrate the flour, so add water gradually until the dough comes together.
- Split the dough into two equal parts. Place each part on a piece of plastic wrap and shape it into a disc. Wrap them tightly and place them in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Now, your dough is ready to be rolled out, cut, shaped, and baked. This recipe is enough to make two 9”-10” open pies, one lattice pie, or one pie with a top crust. The baking instructions will vary depending on the pie you want to make, but in general, this dough is baked at 400F – 425F (200C-220C). You can also refrigerate it for up to 4 days or freeze it for later.
Jasmine says
When blind baking the pie crust, do you immediately lower the temperature when you put in the oven, or do you bake it for a couple minutes at 425 degrees? I’m a little confused about that part.
Anna says
Yes, you lower the temperature right after placing your crust in the oven.
Aui says
I am from Thailand.
Thank you for recipe.❤️❤️❤️❤️🫶🫶🫶🫶
Anna says
You're welcome!