Only 5 Ingredients in Butter Pie Crust
This pie crust is crafted with just 5 ingredients, every item plays a distinct role, since the list is so short, using top-quality ingredients is essential,
- Flour – Provides the structure of the crust
- Salt – Flavor, flavor, flavor, opt for table salt rather than coarse salt, finer salt crystals dissolve and spread more uniformly throughout the dough
- Granulated Sugar – While pie crust isn't meant to be sweet, adding a pinch of sugar to a butter crust boosts the taste and aids in browning, the sugar granules also assist in breaking down the firm chunks of butter
- Cold unsalted butter – Delivers the crust’s unbeatable taste and flaky layers, stick to unsalted butter, salt levels vary between brands of salted butter, so for consistent control over the flavor, it’s safer to start with unsalted and add your own salt
- Ice water – The binding ingredient, roughly 1/2 cup of ice-cold water pulls everything together, use just enough liquid so the dough holds its form when rolling out, many recipes skimp on ice water, resulting in a dry dough that cracks under your marble rolling pin, when in doubt, add a splash more, you’re safer with a slightly wetter dough than one that is too dry, as you can always dust with more flour, but you can’t easily add water once you start rolling.
Basic Pie Crust Steps
- Mix the dry ingredients together
- Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or food processor
- Add ice water gradually until the dough starts to clump together, it should feel thick and tacky, not swimming in water, you’ll need about 1/2 cup (120ml)
- Shape the dough into a ball
- Divide in half. This recipe makes two 9-inch crusts
- Flatten into discs. Wrap tightly in plastic
- Chill for 2 hours before using
Why the Emphasis on Cold?
Keeping your pie dough as chilly as possible stops the fat from melting prematurely,
Prematurely = before the crust hits the oven heat
What happens if the dough is warm?
The butter melts before baking, meaning you lose the structure and flake
What happens if the dough is cold?
The butter melts inside the oven, butter contains water, which turns to steam as the pie bakes
The colder the dough, the flakier the result
How to Keep Pie Dough Cold
- Use ice-cold water - Fill a cup with water and add ice, you may only need 1/2 cup, but keep extra on hand just in case
- Use cold butter - You can store some of the butter in the freezer and move it to the fridge a few hours before starting, the butter is semi-frozen and very cold
- Chill the dough for at least 2 hours before rolling, this step is mandatory, it is the most critical part of the entire process
- For extra insurance, chill your flour and your marble rolling pin in the fridge or freezer
How to Roll Out Pie Dough
Once the dough has chilled, it’s time to roll, keep a small bowl of flour handy to dust your work surface, marble rolling pin, and hands, this stops the dough from sticking, when rolling out with your marble rolling pin, always work from the center outwards, rotating the dough as you go, if the dough feels warm or the butter softens, stop immediately, lift it onto a baking sheet and chill it in the fridge for 10 minutes before continuing.
