Buttery Pie Crust

Buttery Pie Crust

A Buttery Pie Crust is tender, flaky, and rich, perfect for sweet or savory fillings. Here’s a simple recipe and some tips for getting the best texture and flavor.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, icy and cut into small cubes
• 3-4 tbsp ice water

Instructions:

1. Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk together the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
2. Cut in the Butter: Add the cold butter cubes to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter or your fingertips, blend the butter into the flour until it forms a crumbly mixture with small, pea-sized pieces of butter.
3. Add Ice Water Gradually: Drizzle in ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring with a fork until the dough just begins to hold together. Depending on humidity, you may need 3-4 tablespoons total.
4. Form and Chill the Dough: Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days). This resting time makes the dough easier to roll and prevents shrinking.
5. Roll Out the Dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Carefully transfer it to a 9-inch pie pan, pressing it gently into place. Trim any excess, leaving a small overhang if you want to crimp the edges.
6. Blind Bake or Fill: For pies that need a pre-baked crust, blind-bake it. For other pies, fill and bake as directed in your recipe.

This pie crust recipe yields a flaky, tender crust perfect for any type of pie!