Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes and chilled
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
8 to 10 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- Pulse the butter, flour, and salt in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse sand with pea-sized lumps of butter. This will take around 15-20 (1-second) pulses.
- Add ice water, one tablespoon at a time, through the feed tube of the food processor. Pulse 4-5 times after each addition. Stop when the dough begins to form large clumps and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Dump the dough mixture onto a work surface. Use your hands to push it together into one large lump, then divide the dough into two equal halves. Quickly form the halves into balls and flatten them into 4-inch disks.
- Wrap each disk in plastic wrap or place in a plastic baggie. Refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to 4 days. When ready to roll out, let the dough rest for 3-4 minutes to soften slightly.
- Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll out the dough from the center, moving outward. Turn it a quarter turn every time until the dough is about 4 inches larger than the pie pan.
- Once the dough is rolled out, rest it for 5 minutes. Then, carefully transfer it to your pie pan. Flute the edges, and follow your pie recipe instructions from here.
- For prebaking the crust, refrigerate the dough-lined pie plate for 40 minutes, then transfer it to the freezer for 20 more minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and place the oven rack in the lower-middle position.
- Press a double layer of aluminum foil into the chilled pie crust and fill it with pie weights. Bake for 25 minutes, remove the foil and weights, then prick the crust with a fork.
- For a partially baked crust, bake for 5 more minutes. For a fully baked crust, bake for another 12 minutes until golden brown.
Notes
- Gluten-Free Version: Substitute all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend.
- Lard Pie Crust: Replace half of the butter with lard for an even flakier crust.
- Herb-Infused Crust: Add finely chopped fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme for a savory touch.
- Storage: Leftover dough can be stored in plastic wrap or a freezer-safe bag. It can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: If frozen, thaw the dough in the fridge before rolling out. Prebaked pie shells can be stored at room temperature for a couple of days.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/8 of pie crust)
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 1g
- Sodium: 110mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
