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Classic Butter Pie Pastry

Classic Butter Pie Pastry prepared dish

This flaky all-butter pie pastry uses just a few simple ingredients to create a tender homemade crust with far better flavor than store-bought versions. It works well for single- or double-crust pies and benefits from being kept cold while handling.

This recipe is dinner, scaled for 8 servings, with 20 min prep.

Prep: 20 min · Total: 20 min · Serves: 8

Quick cooking notes

  • Core ingredients include all-purpose flour, salt, unsalted butter, ice water.
  • Follow all 9 steps in order for the intended texture and doneness.
  • Ingredient quantities listed below are for 8 servings.

Ingredients

  • 2.5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (very cold and cut into small cubes)
  • 6 tbsp ice water (plus more if needed)

Instructions

  1. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.
  2. Add the cold butter and cut it into the flour with a pastry blender or two knives until no pieces larger than a pea remain.
  3. Sprinkle the ice water over the flour mixture a little at a time, mixing gently with a fork from the bottom of the bowl.
  4. As the dough begins to clump together, push the moistened dough to one side and add a little more water to any dry flour if needed.
  5. When the dough is evenly damp and holds together when pressed, gather it into a ball without kneading.
  6. Flatten the dough slightly, wrap it, and chill it until firm before rolling.
  7. For a double-crust pie, divide the dough into two portions, keeping one slightly larger for the bottom crust.
  8. Roll the dough from the center outward on a lightly floured surface, turning and lifting it often to prevent sticking.
  9. Transfer the pastry to the pie pan, add the filling if using, then top with the second crust if desired and vent it before baking according to your pie recipe.

Nutrition (per serving)

  • Calories: 267
  • Protein: 3 g
  • Fat: 18 g
  • Carbohydrates: 25 g
  • Fiber: 1 g
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Sodium: 293 mg

Nutrition values are estimates based on stored ingredient totals and serving size.

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