All-Butter Flaky Pie Crust

By JDARK

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups (325 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt or use 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar, optional
• 1 cup (230 grams) very cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (2 sticks)
• 4 to 8 tablespoons ice water

Details

Level of difficulty Average
Cost Average budget

Preparation

Step 1

Add 1 ½ cups flour, salt, and sugar (optional) to a food processor. Pulse 2 to 3 times until combined. The remaining cup of flour will be added later.

Step 2

Scatter butter cubes over flour and process until a dough or paste begins to form, about 15 seconds. (There should be no uncoated flour).

Step 3

Scrape bowl, redistribute the flour-butter mixture then add remaining 1 cup of flour. Pulse 4 to 5 times until flour is evenly distributed. (Dough should look broken up and a little crumbly).

Step 4

Transfer to a medium bowl then sprinkle ice water over mixture — start with 4 tablespoons and add from there. Using a rubber spatula, press the dough into itself. The crumbs should begin to form larger clusters. If you pinch some of the dough and it holds together, it’s ready. If the dough falls apart, add 2 to 4 more tablespoons of water and continue to press until dough comes together.

Step 5

Remove dough from bowl and place in a mound on a clean surface. Work the dough just enough to form a ball. Cut the ball in half then form each half into discs. Wrap each disc with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months (just thaw it overnight in the fridge before using it).