Flaky Pie Crust Tutorial

A perfect pie crust is the foundation of any great pie. It should be tender, flaky, and buttery without being tough or greasy. This recipe is our go-to at Andy’s Pie, and once you master it, you’ll never buy store-bought crust again.

The key to a flaky crust is keeping your ingredients cold and handling the dough as little as possible. When cold butter is baked, it creates steam pockets that result in those beautiful, flaky layers we all love.

This recipe makes enough for one double-crust pie or two single-crust pies. You can easily double it and freeze the extra dough for future use.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 6-8 tablespoons ice water

Instructions

1. Prepare your ingredients: Place butter cubes in the freezer for 10 minutes while you prepare other ingredients. Fill a glass with ice water and set aside.

2. Mix dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt until well combined.

3. Cut in the butter: Add the cold butter cubes to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. This should take about 3-5 minutes. Don’t overwork it - those butter pieces will create flaky layers.

4. Add water gradually: Drizzle 6 tablespoons of ice water over the flour mixture. Using a fork, gently mix until the dough starts to come together. Add more water, one tablespoon at a time, if needed. The dough should be moist enough to hold together when pressed but not sticky or wet.

5. Form the dough: Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and gently gather it into a ball. Divide in half and shape each half into a flat disk about 1 inch thick.

6. Chill: Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days. You can also freeze the wrapped dough for up to 3 months.

7. Roll out when ready: When ready to use, let the dough sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes to soften slightly. On a lightly floured surface, roll from the center outward, rotating the dough a quarter turn after each roll to maintain a circular shape. Roll to about 1/8-inch thickness and 2 inches larger than your pie pan.

Tips & Tricks

• Temperature is everything: Keep your butter cold, work quickly, and if the dough gets too warm, pop it back in the fridge for 10 minutes.
• Don’t overmix: Overworking the dough develops gluten, which makes the crust tough. Mix just until combined.
• Use a light touch: When rolling out dough, use gentle pressure and minimal flour to prevent a dry, tough crust.
• Blind baking tip: For single-crust pies with wet fillings, prick the bottom with a fork, line with parchment, fill with pie weights, and bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes before adding filling.
• Make ahead: Wrapped dough keeps in the refrigerator for 3 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator before using.
• Visual test: Your dough is ready when you can see distinct pieces of butter throughout. These will melt during baking, creating steam and flaky layers.