Perfect Buttery Pie Crust

PERFECT BUTTER PIE CRUST

What You’ll Need (yields 1 9-inch pie crust):

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled extra cold and diced
• 1/8-1/4 cup ice water

What To Do: 

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.
2. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Can use a pastry blender or pulse in food processor until it resembles coarse crumbs. **TIP: To make butter extra cold, freeze first and add to flour & salt using a cheese grater!
3. Transfer flour, salt and butter mixture into large bowl & gently toss ice cold water into crumbs 1 tsp at a time with a fork just enough for the dough to be able to hold it together and no more. **TIP: Use water that has been chilled in the freezer until ice crystals form. **TIP: Do not use food processor to incorporate water – it’s too easy to overwork the dough, and too much water will make the crust tough.
4.  Make hands cold by running under very cold water, pat dry and form the dough into a flattened ball. The dough should have small bits of butter… this makes the crust flaky.
5. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 4 hours but not more than overnight.
6. As you are ready to roll out the dough, realize you may need to roll out the dough twice. The first roll-out is usually crumbly, uneven, and has large breaks. Gently gather in edges to form another ball, flip it smooth-side up, and roll out again. A smooth, round, even crust should be easier the second roll out and fit into a 9 inch pie plate. Use a dusting of flour on the rolling pin and work surface through rolling process if necessary. Don’t over-flour.
7. Use an extra large spatula and transfer to pie plate.

** Note: This recipe yields only ONE 9-inch pie crust. Repeat ingredients and instructions for dough/crust to place on top of pie filling.  Pinch sides together and poke holes in top dough before baking. Or, if you really want to get creative, cut top dough into strips and place in criss-cross pattern as shown in the demo photo. Enjoy!  And Happy Holidays!!

**Source of ingredients & photo is a combination of recipes and techniques from AllRecipes.com.