How to make the perfect pie crust

The perfect pie crust is one that is buttery, flaky and of course, homemade. A pie crust contains only 4 ingredients, and this recipe does not involve any use of equipment! Just a bowl and a bench scraper is all you need.

I have made this recipe countless times, and each time the dough turns out different, depending on the type of butter used, the amount of water used. But every time, the dough turns out just perfect. I love that this dough recipe is so versatile (for galettes & pies) and lasts (almost) forever in the freezer. This dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days or stored in the freezer for many many months before baking.

Top tips for a perfect pie crust:

Work quickly. Especially if you are in a warm environment. The dough contains a lot of butter, thus the butter in the dough will soften up and melt quickly in a warm environment.
Reduce heat contact with the dough. I do so by using a bench scraper/pastry cutter to mix the flour with the butter to form the dough. Heat from your hands can cause the butter to warm up easily.
Your fridge is your friend. If the dough is becoming too soft and breaks apart easily, stick the whole thing in the fridge for about 10 mins so that it can harden back up.
Use icy cold water. I typically add 1 ice cube to the cup of water, just to ensure it is icy cold.
Assemble! Now knowing tips 1-4, best to have everything measured and prepped before starting to work on your dough. You want to make this as quick as possible, especially if you are living in a warm environment.

Recipe

Servings: Makes 1 x 9 inch Pie crust (Dough to be divided into 2, for top & bottom crust)

Ingredients

1 block of unsalted butter (250g)
315g of all purpose flour
120ml of ice cold water
1 tsp of salt

Steps

(1) _{Add salt and flour in a mixing bowl}

(2) _{Cut your butter into cubes and add them into the bowl of flour.}

(3) _{Break up the cubes of butter in the bowl of flour using a bench scraper.}

(4) _{Alternatively, you can also gently press the cubes of butter into the flour using your fingers. However I do not prefer this method as the warmth from my hands will cause the butter to melt faster.}

(5) _{Once all the butter has been mixed well with flour, it should look somewhat like wet sand, with some dry patches of flour.}

(6) _{Make a well in the center and slowly pour in some of the iced water, while continuing to mix well using the bench scraper.
Do not pour in all the water at once, as you might not need to use everything. If you encounter any dry spots, simply flick some water over the dry patches.}

(7) _{Once the dough is able to form a lump and able to stick together, you do not need to add any more water}

(8) _{To get the flaky layers in a crust, cut the dough into half and stack them on top of each other. Repeat this step at least 3 times.}

_{(9) Divide the dough into 2 portions, 1 for the top crust and 1 for the bottom crust. At this stage, I like to roll & shape the dough according to how I plan to use the pie dough. If it’s for bottom pie crust > circle shape, for top pie crust > square shape.}

(steps continued)

10) Cling wrap the dough and leave the pie dough in the fridge for minimally 1h, or until it hardens. This allows the glutens in the flour to relax, and this should help to give a more tender pie crust.

11) After 1 hour of resting in the fridge, your dough is ready to be baked!

If you’re looking for pie recipes, check out my blueberry pie recipe here!

Recipe

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