Extra-Flaky Pie Crust
Published July 22, 2020
- Total Time
- 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 2½cups/320 grams unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1teaspoon baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
- 1teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½cup/120 milliliters ice water
- 1tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1cup/225 grams cold unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into 1-inch cubes
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
1420 calories; 93 grams fat; 57 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 27 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 129 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 17 grams protein; 812 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Preparation
- Step 1
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; set aside.
- Step 2
In a measuring cup or a small bowl, combine the water and vinegar; set aside.
- Step 3
Gently toss the butter in the flour mixture until coated, then use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour. (You should have pieces of butter that range from sandy patches to pea-size chunks, with some larger bits as well.)
- Step 4
Drizzle in about half of the ice water mixture and stir lightly with a fork until the flour is evenly moistened and the dough starts to come together. If the dough seems dry, add a little more ice water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time. The dough will still look a bit shaggy at this point. If you grab a small piece of dough and press it slightly with your hand, it should mostly hold together.
- Step 5
Dump the dough out onto an unfloured work surface and gather it together into a tight mound. Using the heel of your hand, smear the dough a little at a time, pushing it away from you and working your way down the mass of dough to create flat layers of flour and butter. Gather the dough back together with a bench scraper, layering the clumps of dough on top of one another.
- Step 6
Repeat the process once or twice more; the dough should still have some big pieces of butter visible.
- Step 7
Cut the dough in half. Shape each piece into a disk and flatten it. Wrap the disks in plastic and put in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or overnight, to rest.
- Step 8
The dough can be stored for 3 days in the refrigerator or up to 1 month in the freezer. If making the dough in advance to freeze: Roll out the dough on a piece of parchment paper, then carefully roll it up in the parchment. Write the date on the parchment and pop into the freezer to firm up, about 30 minutes. Then wrap the crust securely in plastic wrap. Defrost the dough in the refrigerator overnight or thaw it on the kitchen counter for about 30 minutes before using.)
- Step 9
Use the dough for double-crust pie recipes or cut it into disks to prepare Berry Hand Pies.
Private Notes
Comments
I've been making my pie dough like this for decades. The technique for "smearing" the dough I learned from Julia Child. (On mise le frisage.). As another shortcut, you can make 2-3 batches of pastry crumbs and keep in the freezer, then weigh out what you need for a single or double crust. I whir my butter and flour up in the food processor, but always mix the dough by hand. Of course you can do it all by hand like Julia describes.
This is my new go to pie crust recipe, & especially helpful when running short on time! Used my food processor for mixing, & did the smearing by hand. Was only able to refrigerate it for about 30 minutes. Rolled out easier than any recipe ever. So easy to make I worried it wouldn't be flaky. Rest assured, it came out beautifully: flaky, a bit puffy, and even without par baking, the bottom crust was fully baked and not soggy. Ample amount of dough too!
I haven been looking for pie crust recipe that is flaky and light. Look no further. I used this recipe for my French onion tart and for my Apple pie and Pumpkin pie tarts. My French husband loved the crust...and the pies. Easy to freeze and bake too.
Wonderful flake, not "biscuty" at all and had folks wondering when I was going to quit my day job and open the bakery. That good but, very needy of refrigeration. I would recommend keeping any portion not actively being worked at ~34" F.
I thought I had overworked this dough for my hand pies, but everything came out tender. I only refrigerated for a few hours and I made it by hand, because it’s so relaxing to smush the butter in the flour. I love this recipe.
Delicious. The flakiest, most perfect pie crust. Made it exactly as written. I used to make fresh blueberry hand pies and they were extraordinary. I had no idea what I was doing with the smearing but it seemed to have worked: so tender and so flaky. We rolled out the scraps, covered in cinnamon sugar and then rolled those up tightly and baked with a little egg wash: couldn’t stop eating them.
Advertisement