Homemade pie dough comes together easily with only three ingredients: flour, butter and water! This recipe explains how to make pie dough by hand, in a food processor or even in a stand mixer.
Pie dough is a notoriously intimidating endeavor for many home cooks. I remember my first attempt at making it – a sad and overworked effort. Since then I have made hundreds of pounds of pie dough both at home and in bakeries. I am happy to report that many of the anxiety-inducing “musts” about making pie dough are a little more flexible than most recipes let on. The beauty of this recipe is that it can be made by hand or machine with great results. The nearly equal butter to flour ratio produces a pie dough that is easy to handle and roll out, difficult to overwork and deliciously crisp once baked.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS PIE DOUGH RECIPE
- – Only three ingredients! This recipe calls for all purpose flour, salted butter and water.
- – Can be made by hand or machine. Detailed instructions are included for making this pie dough by hand, in a food processor or even in a stand mixer.
- – Flavorful and flaky. The salted butter really makes this pie dough flavorful. When the heat of the oven hits the cold butter bits in the pie dough, it becomes a crisp and flaky crust.
- – Difficult to overwork. Because the flour and butter are almost equal parts by weight, this dough is very flexible and difficult to overwork. In fact, I enjoy rolling it out and then folding it over on itself a couple of times almost like a puff pastry. After the dough rests, more layers are created this way.
- – Can be easily doubled. This recipe makes one pie crust and can easily be doubled to make two pie crusts.
- – Can be made ahead. This pie dough can be chilled in the refrigerator for up to three days before baking as long as it is sealed well in plastic wrap. It also freezes well for up to three months.
HOW TO MAKE PIE DOUGH BY HAND
- 1. All purpose flour is weighed out into a mixing bowl.
- 2. Cold, salted butter is cut into cubes and sprinkled onto the flour. Using your hands, toss the butter cubes to coat them with the flour.
- 3. Begin pressing or “smearing” the cold butter cubes between your fingers. Repeat this step over and over until the butter is thoroughly worked into the flour. The flour should feel a little hydrated and look a bit like damp sand.
- 4. Add cold water into the butter/flour mixture a tablespoon at a time. Stir it around gently with your hands or a fork until the dough just starts to clump together.
HOW TO MAKE PIE DOUGH WITH A MACHINE
- 1. Combine the flour and butter in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
- 2. If using a food processor, pulse the butter and flour together to break up the butter a bit. The flour and butter will begin to resemble damp sand.
- 3. If using a stand mixer, turn the mixer on low to break up the butter a bit. The flour and butter will begin to resemble damp sand.
- 4. With the food processor or stand mixer running, slowly stream water a tablespoon at a time until the dough begins to clumps together.
Now that you know how to make pie dough, don’t miss out on my recipe for Pecan Pie!
How to Make Pie Dough
How to make pie dough with only three ingredients by hand, with a food processor or with a stand mixer!
Equipment
- 1 kitchen scale
- 1 set of measuring spoons optional
- 1 medium-large bowl optional
- 1 food processor optional
- 1 stand mixer optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 grams) all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) salted butter cold and cubed
- 1-2 tbsp cold water
Instructions
- If using your hands: Combine the flour, salt and cold, cubed butter in a mixing bowl. Toss the butter in the flour and gently begin to smear the chunks of butter between your fingers as you mix. This will slowly begin to hydrate the flour. Do this until all the butter is properly smeared and coated in flour. Then begin drizzling just a tablespoon or two of water over the flour. Using your hands or a fork, gently stir the buttery flour around to distribute the water. When the flour seems mostly moistened and begins to clump together, stop adding water.
- If using a food processor: Combine the flour, salt and cubed butter in the bowl fitted with a blade. Lock the lid and begin to pulse the butter into the flour. Slowly begin to add the water, one tablespoon at a time while the food processor runs. With the food processor still running, wait for each tablespoon to incorporate before adding another. As soon as the dough clumps together, stop adding the water.
- If using a stand mixer: Combine the flour, salt and cubed butter in the bowl fitted with a paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on medium low and mix for about 30 seconds until the butter begins to incorporate. With the mixer still running, slowly begin to add the water, one tablespoon at a time. Wait for each tablespoon to incorporate before adding another. As soon as the dough clumps together, stop adding the water.
- After the dough is processed: Turn the pie dough out into a lightly floured surface and gently press it into a disc. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or parchment paper and chill it in the refrigerator for at least an hour before rolling. I prefer to let the dough chill overnight to prevent shrinkage when baking. You can also freeze the pie dough at this point.
- To roll out the pie dough: Once the dough chilled for at least an hour in the refrigerator, bring it out and let it warm up a bit on your counter before rolling. If the dough is too cold when you try to roll it out, it will crack. After about 5-10 minutes, the dough should still be cold but not as hard. Lightly dust a work surface with flour, unwrap the dough and place it on the floured work surface.
- Lightly flour the top of the dough and begin to roll it out to about 1/4" thickness with a rolling pin. Be sure to roll evenly and to regularly turn and lightly re-dust the disc with flour if necessary. Roll the dough out to a circle that is at least 12-14" wide. Gently transfer the dough to the pie plate.
- If the dough is still a bit stiff, let it rest for a few minutes before pressing and forming it to the pie plate. If it is very warm, put in back in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes. If the dough shrinks back quite a bit while rolling, rewrap it and let it chill for another 30 minutes to an hour. Press the dough gently into the bottom inside edge and up the insides of the pie plate. Tim and/or crimp the edges of the pie dough as desired.
- At this point, you can wrap the pie plate in plastic wrap and return it to the refrigerator to chill. Alternatively, you can wrap the pie plate and store it in the freezer for future use.
Notes
To freeze pie dough: Once the dough is made, it can be stored in a freezer-safe bag or container in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw the dough in the refrigerator over night before using.
