pie crust
This is a great basic crust recipe for pies or tarts. I use this often for sweet and savory tarts and pies if I don’t want to add sweetness to the dish. It is buttery, flaky, and very easy to make.
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The Recipe
Pie Crust
- 4 ounces cold butter, cubed
- 1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup cold water
- Place the cold butter, flour and salt in a food processor.
- Pulse until the mixture is grainy and butter is mixed throughout.
- While food processor is running, add the cold water and egg. Pulse until the mixture just starts to form a ball. It will still be a little crumbly.
- Turn dough out on a piece of plastic wrap. Use the sides of the plastic wrap to work any crumbs into the dough, forming a ball.
- Wrap dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour or more.
- Roll dough out on a floured surface. Make sure there is enough flour between turns so that the pie dough can move freely on the rolling surface. It should not stick to the surface.
- Using a rolling pin, roll diagonally up to the right a couple of times, then diagonally up to the left the same amount of times. Rotate dough a quarter turn and continue with this method until dough is desired size. This will keep your pie dough in a round shape.
- Press the dough into a pie or tart pan, trim and crimp edges, and poke the bottom of pie crust with a fork. This helps the pie crust bake evenly and not bubble or raise up in the middle.
- Freeze the pie dough before adding filling or baking it. This will help it to not shrink or burn while baking and also keeps the crust design better.
- Fill and bake at 350ºF for as long as the pie or tart recipe you are making recommends.
Note: You may freeze any unused pie dough for up to several months if it is wrapped airtight. Pull it out of the freezer and put in the refrigerator the day before you want to use it so it can thaw before rolling it out.
Yield: One 12″ single crust pie or One 8″ double crust pie