My mom’s flaky pie crust is the very best. It’s a thick crust with distinct flaky layers. We recently had a Saturday tutorial with friends to talk through all of the subtle fine points of her technique. I hope this tutorial helps you get ready for Thanksgiving!
A note on butter. In the past, pie crusts were traditionally made with lard, and then Crisco became the norm. We have switched to an all-butter crust as a flavorful solution. You may be tempted to use fancy Irish or French butter, but in fact American unsalted butter is best for pie crust. American butter has more water content which creates a flaky texture,
Pie crust is not difficult, but it is a bit finicky. The goal is to keep the butter very cold to create flaky layers. Overworking the dough can melt the butter and create a tough dough.
In my experience, it’s best to avoid making pie crust on the hottest of summer days. The hot weather will melt the butter and eliminate the flaky texture you are trying to build, creating instead a tough crust the texture of a dense shortbread cookie. I believe pie is better in cooler months, and cobblers & crisps are better in summer months for this reason. That’s just my opinion.
Mom’s Flaky Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter
- ice water
Instructions
Food Processor Method
- Chill the butter until very cold but not rock hard.
- Combine the flour and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine.
- Use a sharp knife to slice the butter. Add it to the food processor. Pulse until it breaks down into gravel-sized peas or smaller.
- Combine ice and water in a bowl to make ice water. Drizzle 4 tablespoons of the ice water over the flour-butter mixture. Pulse a few times. Continue to drizzle in 1 tablespoon of ice water at a time, each time checking the texture. Toward the end of adding water, add less than a tablespoon at a time so you don't add too much water. When it is ready, it should look like damp sand, but if you pinch it with your fingers it will clump together well.
Grater Method
- Alternatively, if you do not have a food processor, you can use a cheese grater to grate the butter.
- Freeze the butter until rock hard, then use a cheese grater to grate the frozen butter into the combined flour and salt. Then rub the flour and butter between your fingers the butter to create long flat streaks. This shape will create flakiness in the final crust. Drizzle the ice water in gradually and combine with a fork.
Old Fashioned Method
- Third alternative, chill the butter until very cold. Cut with a sharp knife into small cubes, then rub it together with your fingertips. Drizzle the ice water in gradually and combine with a fork.
Forming the Dough
- Place dough on a floured board or counter. Use your hands to bring the dough together to a disk about 1.5-inches tall. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge about 15 minutes. (If you doubled the recipe to make a double crust, divide the dough in half and make 2 disks).
- During this time, make your pie filling.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and return it to the floured work surface. Dust some flour on a rolling pin and gently roll the dough out to a large circle. Use long smooth motions to roll the dough outward from the center. Do not overwork the dough. You can set the pie pan on top to make sure the dough is rolled out wide enough.
- Gently fold the dough in half, then carefully transfer it to the pie plate. Unfold the dough to cover the pie plate. Gently push the dough into the bottom edge of the pie plate.
- Trim off excess dough beyond 3/4-inch from the edge of the pie plate. If the edge is uneven and there are small sections missing at the edge, use ice water as the binder to patch the edges of the dough with the excess trimmed dough scraps.
- Tuck the dough under at the edges. Use your fingers to pleat the pie crust.
Double Crust
- If you are making a double crust, wait to the pleat the crust until after you have both layers in place.
- The top layer of the double crust needs some vent holes. You have to cut them while the dough in on the cutting board, not after it has been placed on top of the pie. You can use a sharp knife to cut vent holes, but we generally use small cookie cutters to cut out cute shapes to decorate the pie.
- After adding the filling on top of the first layer of dough, use ice water to lightly wet the top of the crust around the edge. Then place the top crust in place.
- Trim both top and bottom edges just 3/4-inch past the edge of the pie plate. Tuck both layers of crust under together then pleat them together.
- Brush a little milk or oatmilk on top of the double crust and sprinkle a little sugar to create a shine when baked.