All Buter Pie Crust

Don’t be intimidated by making pie crust! Use this simple recipe and method to make a wonderfully delicate and buttery pie crust in your own kitchen. This All Butter Pie Crust recipe calls for 3 ingredients and yields a tender, flaky pie crust that pairs beautifully with any dessert pie. Makes 2 single crust pies or 1 double-crust pie.

For years, I swore up and down that I was not a pie person.

“They’re too fussy,” I would explain.

Except… I loved to make hand pies and have published several recipes on this site for them.

And let’s be real: those are even more fussy than regular-sized pies.

Upon hearing this hypocrisy, my friends made me promise to stop the hand pie business.

And then another group of friends decided that we should bake a bunch of pies together in a single day and called it Pie Day.

Pie Day is a day that we gather to bake 3-4 new pies and then consume them all to see which we like best.

We make savory pies (like Crawfish Pie), as well as sweet pies (like Bourbon Pecan Pie.)

Every gathering offers a different pie or two for the young and semi-old, and it is delightful.

Even though we live in separate cities across Texas, we’re planning to get together for another Pie Day soon.

Why I love this recipe:

My grandmother, Bugga, made an incredible pie crust with just three ingredients: flour, salt and vegetable shortening.

Over the years, I have taken Bugga’s recipe and adapted it to incorporate butter.

The process of working butter into a pie crust (as opposed to shelf-stable shortening, which does not need to be kept cold) is a bit more precarious, but once you get it down, it’s smooth sailing.

I have detailed everything you need to know below in the post and recipe card so you can successfully make this recipe in your own kitchen.

This buttery pie crust is simple, but it tastes amazing and it pairs with any type of dessert pie (or savory pie) that you might like, assuming you like butter.

The ingredients really shine through, so be sure to invest in good ones, like high-quality butter.

Use this crust recipe with: Bourbon Pecan Pie | Bugga’s Apple Pie

Got sweet teeth? Check out my Dessert Recipe Index for inspiration.

What you need to make this recipe

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• Liquid measuring cup
• Mixing bowl
• A pastry blender (aka a pastry cutter) or a fork
• Plastic wrap (or beeswax wrap to wrap the crust in)
• Pie pan (I prefer a ceramic one over a metal or glass one)
• Rolling pin
• Pie rolling mat (to help with sizes, if this is helpful for you)
• Parchment paper
• Kitchen shears
• Fluted pastry cutter
• Pie weights (or dried beans)

Here are the simple ingredients you will need to grab from your local grocery store:

• All-purpose flour — this is my go-to flour. We keep unbleached in our house, but regular AP also works. I have not tried this recipe with gluten free flours, so please do not substitute.
• Kosher salt — I use a medium grain kosher salt in this recipe. You could also use a similarly sea salt here in place of the kosher salt. I do not recommend using table salt, as it is saltier than kosher salt.
• Unsalted butter — we want the butter to be very cold. I like to shred the butter with a box grater and pop that into the freezer well in advance so the butter doesn’t melt as it is incorporated into the pie crust.
• Ice Water — this brings it all together! You’ll want to pour it into a glass with ice cubes so it’s extremely cold. The chilliness of the water will prevent the butter from melting as you combine the pie crust ingredients. As a result, this will yield a flakier crust. The amount of ice cold water is dependent on a lot of things, including where you live and the weather of the day, so I’ve given you a range to work with.

Please note that we are making this pie crust in a bowl, so if you’re looking for a recipe involving a food processor or a stand mixer, this ain’t it. My Buttermilk Pie Crust is made in a food processor.

Let’s talk about gluten development and pie crust 

The more we work dough, the tougher it gets… because gluten begins to form and develop. Let’s be clear: Gluten development is amazing in most baked goods, like homemade breads.

HOWEVER, we do not want gluten to form nearly as much in a pie crust because we want a tender, yet flaky crust.

For this buttery pie crust to not be overworked, you need to work efficiently and quickly to prevent the butter melting AND gluten from forming. If you overmix it, the crust will be tougher.

How to make an All Butter Pie Crust 

Combine the dry ingredients (the flour and the salt) in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.

Shred the cold butter with a box grater. (Sometimes, I’ll throw the stick of butter in the freezer before this step.) This will ensure the butter pieces are about the same size. 

Add the shredded butter to the flour mixture. Use a fork or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture.

Divide the mixture into four equal parts in the bowl.

Add a tablespoon of water to each part and gently mix it in with the fork or the pastry blender.

Add enough water in increments until the dough just comes together in one large ball. The crust should just hold together when it’s ready. All you need to do is squeeze it with your hand to confirm.

Press into two loose rounds. Transfer each to a separate piece of plastic wrap. (This way, you have a separate bottom crust, as well as a top crust. And if your pie doesn’t have a top crust, you can freeze the second round for later.)

Wrap tightly, then refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight. This can also be done where you freeze the dough if you want to make it well in advance.

How to blind bake pie crust

I highly recommend blind baking your pie crust, unless the pie filling recipe you’re using suggests that you should not do this.

Preheat the oven. I like to blind bake my pie crust at a higher temperature, so I set the temperature to 425°F for this buttery crust.

Prep the surface. Sprinkle a clean, flat surface with a layer of flour. I like to put a few spoonfuls of flour into a small bowl next to my workspace in case I need it. (I got this trick, thanks to a friend.)

You may sprinkle the flour onto a sheet of parchment or a pie rolling mat if you want a guide.

Roll out the bottom crust on the lightly floured surface. Since the dough ball will be in a round, simply flatten it with a rolling pin.

Roll outwards, turning the crust occasionally to help it keep a round shape.

When the crust is ¼” to ½” thick, fold in half, then on top of itself to where it looks like a triangle and place the end of the point in the middle of your pie plate.

Unfold the pie crust, and spread it out evenly on the pie plate.

Trim the edges to where there is about 1” of crust hanging off the pie plate.

Use your hands to gently crimp the crust with this excess dough hanging off the plate. You may also fold the crust in on itself, tucking the bottom of it beneath the top, and press the sides down with a fork if you don’t want to crimp the crust.

Once the crust has been crimped, poke the bottom of the crust a few times with a fork, place a sheet of parchment down on top of it and cover the pie crust with pie weights… or dried beans.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the edges of the pie crust are golden brown. It does not need to be baked all the way through.

Remove the pie crust from the oven and gently lift the pie weights out of the crust using the parchment.

Set the pie crust aside to cool slightly before adding your filling and baking again.

Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips

Homemade pies are one of the best things about the holiday season – or any season! – and a well-made butter crust takes any homemade pie to the next level.

If you want to entertain this season and share pie with your people, here are some tips:

• Make a few batches of this buttery pie crust so that you’re stocked for the season.
• Keep discs frozen in your freezer. This way, when you want to make a pie, all you’ll need to do is defrost and bake.
• Or purchase aluminum pie tins and form the pie crusts in those, and freeze them whole to where they are ready to bake.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Tips and Tricks for the best homemade pie crust

• High quality ingredients yield the best results. That means springing for the more expensive butter (European butter has a higher fat percentage, which makes it that much more decadent in a crust like this), as well as
• Give yourself time. Rushing while making a pie crust never serves anyone well. It also needs to chill before rolling, so give it time!
• How to store: You can store a pie crust in the fridge for 1-2 weeks in a round, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. You can also freeze the rounds for up to 3 months OR roll the pie crust out and place it in a pie tin and freeze it whole.

More pie recipes to try:

• Bugga’s Apple Pie
• Crawfish Pie

Here’s how you make this pie crust…

All Butter Pie Crust

Erin Parker, The Speckled Palate

Don’t be intimidated by making pie crust! Use this simple recipe and method to make a wonderfully delicate and buttery pie crust in your own kitchen. This All Butter Pie Crust recipe calls for 3 ingredients and yields a tender, flaky pie crust that pairs beautifully with any dessert pie.

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Servings 2 single pie crusts

Calories 862 kcal

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Chilling Time 2 hours hrs

Ingredients

  

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• 2 cups all-purpose flour 240g
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt 7g
• ½ cup unsalted butter very cold or frozen
• 8-10 tablespoons ice cold water

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Liquid measuring cup
• Box grater
• Pastry blender
• Pie dish (9" round)
• Rolling pin
• Pastry brush
• Pie rolling mat
• Parchment baking paper
• Pie weights

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Instructions

 

Make the Pie Crust

• Combine the flour with the salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
• Shred the cold or frozen butter with a box grater.
• Add the shredded butter to the flour mixture. Use a fork or a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture. Work quickly and efficiently, as you do not want to overwork the butter and cause it to melt. When it’s the size of peas, you’re ready for the next step.
• Divide the mixture into four equal parts. Add a tablespoon of water to each part and gently mix it in with the fork or the pastry blender.
• Add more water to the quadrants until the dough just comes together. The crust should just hold together when it’s ready. All you need to do is squeeze it with your hand to confirm.
• Press into two loose rounds. Transfer each to a separate piece of plastic wrap. (This way, you have a separate bottom crust, as well as a top crust. And if your pie doesn’t have a top crust, you can freeze the second round for later.)
• Wrap tightly, then refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight. This can also be done where you freeze the dough if you want to make it well in advance.

Blind Bake the Pie Crust

• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Sprinkle a clean, flat surface with a layer of flour. (Place a few spoonfuls of flour into a small bowl next to your workspace in case you need more.)
• Roll out the crust. Flatten the dough ball with your rolling pin, then roll outwards, turning the crust occasionally to keep a round(ish) shape.
• When the crust is ¼” to ½” thick, fold in half, then on top of itself to where it looks like a triangle and place the end of the point in the middle of a pie plate.
• Unfold the pie crust, and spread it out evenly on the pie plate.
• Trim the edges to where there is about 1” of crust hanging off the pie plate.
• Use your hands to gently crimp the crust. (I use the pointer finger and thumb of my left hand to form a V shape on the inside of the crust and use my right thumb to press the dough on the outside of the crust into my left hand to create the crimps.) You may also fold the crust in on itself, and press the sides down with a fork if you don’t want to crimp the crust.
• Once the crust has been crimped, poke the bottom of the crust a few times with a fork, place a sheet of parchment down on top of it and cover with pie weights or dried beans.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the edges of the pie crust are golden brown.
• Remove the pie crust from the oven and gently lift the pie weights out of the crust using the parchment.
• Set the pie crust aside to cool slightly before adding your filling and baking again, according to the pie recipe instructions.

Video

Notes

How to store: Store wrapped tightly in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks or in the freezer for 3 months. You may also roll out the pie crusts and place them in pie pans and freeze them in the pans to where you just need to bake them off. (I recommend doing this in a disposable aluminum tin instead of a fancier ceramic pie plate.)

Nutrition

Serving: 1 pie crustCalories: 862kcalCarbohydrates: 95gProtein: 13gFat: 47gSaturated Fat: 29gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 2gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 1756mgPotassium: 148mgFiber: 3gSugar: 0.4gVitamin A: 1418IUCalcium: 35mgIron: 6mg

Keyword butter, homemade pie crust, pie crust, pie crust recipe

Course Desserts & Sweet Treats

Cuisine American

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