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How To Make Perfectly Flaky Pie Crust

Want to know the secret for making the flakiest, tastiest pie crust? It all starts with real butter. When you use cold bits of real butter in your dough, the water content is released into the pie crust as steam when you bake it, creating golden pockets of flaky layers that taste just as good as they look. The best part is, it’s easy to make. One might say, easy as pie. Just follow the steps below, and you’ll be on your way to stealing the pie crust show.

Get Started

Step 1: Cut In Butter

In medium bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of sugar (optional). Add two sticks (1 cup) of cold cubed butter and use pastry blender to cut butter into dry ingredients until size of small peas.

Step 2: Add Cold Water

Add 1/4 cup of water 1 tablespoon at a time until mixture starts to come together into a shaggy dough.

Step 3: Knead Lightly

Once dough is moistened, dump it out onto clean surface and knead a few times to incorporate all of the dry bits. Work quickly, do not over handle.

Step 4: Refrigerate

Divide dough in half and shape into disks. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Dough will keep in refrigerator for up to 5 days and double-wrapped in freezer for up to 2 months.

Step 5: Flour & Roll

Flour your surface. With rolling pin, roll dough out into rough 12-inch circle. It’s important to keep your crust loose while you’re rolling it. You don’t want to finish rolling it out, only to find out it’s stuck to the table. Rotate often to make sure it’s loose, and if ever it starts sticking, use a bench scraper to lift it while adding a bit more flour underneath.

Step 6: Transfer To Dish

Transfer rolled pie crust to your pie dish by rolling it up onto rolling pin, and then rolling it out into pie dish. Repeat for top crust for a filled pie.

Step 7: Bake

Once top crust is laid, trim edges to 1 inch. Press two crusts together to seal and tuck them into pie dish. Crimp edges as desired. All that’s left is to cut slits into the top for vents, brush with egg wash, and bake! 

Step 8: Enjoy!

This basic pie dough will work with a wide variety of recipes. Follow recipe for specific baking instructions. Or, if you’re creating your own fruit filling, bake for 1 hour at 400°F. Cool for a few hours before serving at room temperature. Practice your pie crust with more of our delicious pie recipes.