All-Butter No-Fail Flaky Pie Crust

I thought I would share my go-to pie crust recipe that I’ve used versions of for the Apple Pie Cookies, Pumpkin Pie (less water), and the apple pies I made for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year (recipe forthcoming).

I’ve tried and failed at many a pie crust, but once I tried Smitten Kitchen’s all-butter recipe, I never went back.  Sharing this today to abbreviate future posts!

Note: This recipe makes enough dough for two pie crusts or enough for one double-crust pie.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very cold

DIRECTIONS:

1. Fill a one cup liquid measuring cup with water, and drop in a few ice cubes; set it aside. In a wide large bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Using a pastry blender, cut two sticks of very cold unsalted butter into tiny pea-size clumps, using the blender to scoop and redistribute the mixture as needed. Be sure not to over blend the butter – having uneven clumps is a good thing.

   

2. Drizzle 1/2 cup of the ice-cold water (but not the ice cubes) over the butter and flour mixture. Using a rubber or silicon spatula, gather the dough together. You may need up to an additional 1/4 cup of cold water to bring it together, but add it a tablespoon as a time. Once you’re pulling large damp (but not wet!) clumps with the spatula, take it out and get your hands in there (see how that big bowl comes in handy?). Gather the damp clumps together into one mound, kneading them gently together.  Do this quickly so the dough doesn’t get warm/melty.
3. Divide the dough in half, and place each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. I like to use the sides to pull in the dough and shape it into a disk. Let the dough chill in the fridge for one hour, but preferably at least two, before rolling it out.

NOTE: If you want to make the dough ahead, it will keep in the fridge for about a week, and in the freezer longer. If not using it that day, wrap it in additional layers of plastic wrap to protect it from fridge/freezer smells. To defrost your dough, move it to the fridge for one day before using it.