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In the Art of Pie Crust I talk about the lack of measurement, the knowing just when a pie dough is ready to roll. You may be saying, but I DON’T just know. How can I make a crust when I don’t? Pinches, dashes, and mounds of this and that make no sense to you, so here’s my “measured” Pie Crust Recipe just for you.
Tips for Making Pie Crust
- Keep in mind that depending on the day you will need to adjust the water. Dry days require more water, and humid days require less. The dough seems to feed off the humidity in the air.
- Also, I use salted butter so I do not add salt to my recipe for pie crust. If you use unsalted butter, a pinch of salt would be good, half a teaspoon or so.
- Don’t over mix or over roll your dough. It will make it tough.
Simple Pie Crust Recipe
- Author: Heather McCurdy
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups unbleached flour
- 1 cup salted butter (or 1 cup unsalted with 1/2 teaspoon salt)
- 4–6 tablespoons cold water (for an extra flaky crust you can exchange half the water for vodka. The alcohol bakes out.)
- 1/8 cup flour for rolling
Instructions
- Mix butter into flour and salt if using unsalted butter, until fine and crumbly.
- Add water slowly, mixing into dough between each addition.
- Dough is ready when it forms ball when you squeeze the crumbles together.
- Roll out on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin.
- Flip the dough a few times, adding very little flour to keep it from sticking to the surface.
- Roll into a circle approximately 1/4 inch thick.
- Makes 2 – 9 inch pie crusts with some dough left over.
- If baking before filling, bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned.
- Poke holes in crust with fork or use pie balls to keep crust from bubbling up during baking.
NOTE: I start with 2 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons vodka, adding more to make the crust manageable as needed. If I start rolling the dough and it is breaking apart I add a few splashes of water and gently work it in, being careful to not over handle the dough.
Heather McCurdy writes at Real: The Kitchen and Beyond where she shows families how to slow down and savor life on any budget with tasty homemade recipes and family travel.
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