All Butter Pie Crust
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Learn how to make the best All Butter Pie Crust with this simple recipe. This easy homemade pie crust recipe only requires 3 ingredients. This recipe makes a double crust, which means top and bottom pie crust. This can be used for any recipe such as traditional apple pie.
If you're looking for more pie recipes, be sure to check out some of my favorites like Apple Cinnamon Strawberry Pie, Honey Lemon Apple Pie, or Orange Blossom Honey Apple Pie, all that use this crust!
Table of Contents
Growing up, we were an all butter household. I had no idea that people baked or cooked with anything else besides butter! It's no wonder I owned and operated a bake shop that went through hundreds of pounds of organic butter a month for over 10 years! So, today I'm sharing my top tips and tricks for this easy homemade pie crust recipe.
I have taught countless number of employees how to make pie crust from scratch and now I'm teaching you! I teamed up with my favorite brand of organic butter, Organic Valley, to bring you all the tips and tricks you need to learn how to make pie crust from scratch. You'll be baking homemade pies in no time!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Minimal Ingredients: This all butter pie crust only has butter, flour, salt, and water, that's it!
Use for Many Pies: You can use this recipe anytime you need a pie crust. I provide easy adjustments so you can make this into a double crust, two bottom crusts, or even galettes.
Homemade: Once you start making homemade pie crust, you'll realize how easy it is and how much better they taste then store bought!
Ingredients
This easy homemade pie crust recipe is made up of just 4 ingredients: Organic Valley Salted Butter, cane sugar, all purpose flour, and water. With so few ingredients, each one plays a huge role in this All Butter Pie Crust. So, ingredients really matter! That's why I always go organic, for the best tasting All Butter Pie Crust.
Cairnspring Mills Organic All Purpose Flour (use code MIMIORGANIC15 for 15% off your order!)
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Tools Needed
There really is no special equipment needed to make this easy homemade pie crust recipe. This all butter pie crust is so easy that you can make it with just a mixing bowl and your hands! I did it like this for years until it was physically impossible to make all the pie crusts we needed in a day at my bakery. So, then we figured out how to make pie crust from scratch with a stand mixer. So, it's totally up to you how you want to make this all butter pie crust!
Digital Food Scale
A must have tool is a scale for pie crust. This makes for the best all butter pie crust because you can weigh out your ingredients. I highly recommend purchasing a digital food scale if you don't already have one. You will use it all the time! My favorite scale can be found here.
Stand Mixer or Mixing Bowl
Like I said above, a stand mixer is not necessary, but I think it's easier. You can learn how to make pie crust from scratch with or without a mixer. If you don't have a mixer, just use a mixing bowl. Do not use a hand mixer, as this is not the same as a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. A hand mixer is more like a stand mixer with a whisk. So, skip the hand mixer here.
Sharp Knife
You'll need a sharp knife to cut the butter.
Measuring Cup
You will need a measuring cup to pour the water into the pie dough.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
Measure the cold water and place in the fridge.
Step 2
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl), add the flour and cane sugar. Chop the butter into small cubes by cutting each stick in half, then cutting each half in thirds, and from there chopping into small cubes. Place the butter in the bowl with flour and sugar and place in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes to make sure the butter is truly cold.
Step 3
Remove the mixing bowl and water from the fridge. Place the bowl in your stand mixer and mix on low until the mixture looks like wet sand. (If not using a mixer, use a pastry cutter, potato masher, or your hands until the mixture resembles wet sand). Immediately add all the water and mix just until the dough comes together (do not over-mix).
Step 4
Divide the dough into two pieces (top and bottom). The top should weigh about 6 ounces (170 grams) and the bottom should weigh about 11 ounces (312 grams). If you need two galettes or two bottom only crusts, just divide the dough in half (about 250 grams each). Form the two pieces into round disks, and—one at a time—press the disks with your hands, similar to kneading, to incorporate any dry spots or butter chunks and to gently make the disks wider and flatter. The larger the disks you can form now, the less work you will do when rolling it out (and the quicker you’ll be!). Wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped dough in the fridge and chill overnight.
Step 5
When you’re ready to roll out your pie crust, remove the larger disk from plastic wrap and lightly sprinkle flour on the top and bottom. Flour a work surface and, using a rolling pin, roll and then rotate your pie crust 45 degrees and then roll and rotate again. This will help you roll the disk out evenly. Roll out to ¼-inch thick; it will be about 11 inches in diameter. Set aside. Repeat with the smaller disk, which should be about 9-inches in diameter.
Step 6
Continue to follow your pie recipe for filling and baking.
Baker's Tips
Keep Butter Cold
This is my top tip for the best All Butter Pie Crust. Keeping your butter cold is what makes pie crust buttery and flaky. Cold butter doesn't blend into the dough like softened butter does. Unlike with cookies, with pie crust, you want this! So, when the pie crust bakes in the oven, the cold butter melts, leaving air pockets in the dough. In cookies and cakes, this is bad! But, in pie dough, this is good! Because these air pockets turn into steam from the heat of the oven and expand the air pockets. This results in a flaky crust. So, cold butter is key!
If it's super warm outside, or in your kitchen, be sure to pull the butter out of the fridge right before you need it. You can also chop the butter and then place it back in the fridge to chill for a few additional minutes. This is a top trick for beginners and it's what I would have all employees do at first. I'd tell them chop the butter, then go wash dishes for 15 minutes, then return to making the pie dough.
Cut Butter Into Small Cubes
Cutting butter into small cubes is key for a buttery and flaky crust. The smaller the butter chunks, the flakier the crust. This is an easy rule to remember when learning how to make pie crust from scratch. It was something I just knew for years, without really knowing why. But, the why is important too. The more butter chunks you have, the more distribution of butter throughout the dough, creating those air pockets I mentioned above. Hence, the more flaky the crust will become if those butter chunks are spread out over a larger area, versus a smaller one.
Roll Out Quickly
To make the best flaky All Butter Pie Crust, you need to roll out your dough quickly. But, when learning how to make pie crust from scratch, rolling out the dough can be difficult. But, with pie dough, it's not important to have it perfect as pies are more rustic. So, that's my biggest tip. Don't focus on perfection at first, focus on speed. Because as the dough warms, the butter softens. This can create a tough pie crust. You need that butter to stay cold so it leaves those pockets you already created. If you think your dough is getting warm, the best thing to do is place it back in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes, and then bring it out again. When it's rolled out, if it still seems warm, then place the pie dough back in the fridge (even if the pie is all filled and topped) and allow it to chill for at lest 15 minutes before going in the oven.
If you want a full tutorial for rolling out pie, check out my post How to Roll Out a Pie!
FAQ's
Yes, if you prefer, you can use unsalted butter in this recipe. If so, be sure to add a little over ¼ teaspoon of salt into the dry ingredients.
Only keep pie dough in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours. If you can't roll out your pie within that time frame, you can freeze the dough.
Yes, just place the wrapped pie dough in the freezer. You can freeze it for up to 1 month. To thaw, just remove it from the freezer and place in the fridge for 24 hours. Then roll out!
If you just need the bottom crust, you can half the recipe. Or, you could make the full recipe and divide the dough in half and freeze the other half for another time.
Craving More?
All Butter Pie Crust
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (optional)
Ingredients
- 7 tablespoons cold water
- 227 grams all purpose flour (plus extra for rolling)
- 1 teaspoon cane sugar
- 170 grams salted butter (cold)
Instructions
- Measure the cold water and place in the fridge.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl), add the flour and cane sugar. Chop the butter into small cubes by cutting each stick in half, then cutting each half in thirds, and from there chopping into small cubes. Place the butter in the bowl with flour and sugar and place in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes to make sure the butter is truly cold.
- Remove the mixing bowl and water from the fridge. Place the bowl in your stand mixer and mix on low until the mixture looks like wet sand. (If not using a mixer, use a pastry cutter, potato masher, or your hands until the mixture resembles wet sand). Immediately add all the water and mix just until the dough comes together (do not over-mix).
- Divide the dough into two pieces (top and bottom). The top should weigh about 6 ounces (170 grams) and the bottom should weigh about 11 ounces (312 grams). If you need two galettes or two bottom only crusts, just divide the dough in half (about 250 grams each). Form the two pieces into round disks, and—one at a time—press the disks with your hands, similar to kneading, to incorporate any dry spots or butter chunks and to gently make the disks wider and flatter. The larger the disks you can form now, the less work you will do when rolling it out (and the quicker you’ll be!). Wrap each piece tightly in plastic wrap. Place the wrapped dough in the fridge and chill overnight.
- When you’re ready to roll out your pie crust, remove the larger disk from plastic wrap and lightly sprinkle flour on the top and bottom. Flour a work surface and, using a rolling pin, roll and then rotate your pie crust 45 degrees and then roll and rotate again. This will help you roll the disk out evenly. Roll out to ¼-inch thick; it will be about 11 inches in diameter. Set aside. Repeat with the smaller disk, which should be about 9-inches in diameter.
- Continue to follow your pie recipe for filling and baking.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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