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All Butter Pie Crust

An unbaked butter pie crust.

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4.9 from 28 reviews

This All Butter Pie Crust recipe is simple to make and creates a perfectly flaky, delicious crust suitable for both sweet and savory pies.

Ingredients

  • 2-3/4 cups (330 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons (14 grams) cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon (2 grams) coarse kosher salt (see note)
  • 18 tablespoons (250 grams) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1" pieces
  • 1 tablespoon (15 grams) apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup (120 grams) ice water, more as needed

Instructions

  1. Add the flour, cornstarch and salt to the bowl of a food processor.
  2. Pulse 2-3 times until combined.
  3. Add in the butter and pulse 5 times.
  4. Add the vinegar to the water. With the motor running, slowly pour the water into the flour. The dough should be crumbly and it should hold together when squeezed. Drip in more water and toss together if needed.
  5. Empty the flour mixture onto a work surface and divide it into two piles.
  6. Quickly form each dough pile together. If there are any dry spots, drip a bit more water on them and knead together if you have to. Each dough should weigh about 12 ounces.
  7. Place each in a piece of plastic wrap and wrap tightly.
  8. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out until it stretches to the corner of the plastic wrap.
  9. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

Notes

Weighing your flour is the most accurate way to measure. If you aren't going to weigh it, make sure to spoon it into the cup, and then level it off. If you scoop the flour out with the measuring cup and then level, it could change the outcome of the final product.

This recipe was tested using Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt. If you use  Morton's kosher salt or fine salt decrease by about half for volume, or use the same amount by weight.

You can store it in the refrigerator for 2-4 days or the freezer for up to 3 months. If you plan to store it for an extended period of time than wrap it up twice!

How you bake a butter pie crust is just as important as preparing it. The key rule: very cold dough should go into a very hot oven, ideally at 425ºF. However, it's best to reference the filling recipe for any specific key details about baking the crust.

This butter pie crust recipe was originally published in 2018 and was the very first recipe ever published on this food blog. It is the same butter pie crust recipe I've been personally using to make pies for over 15 years. It was adapted from the pie crust in Rose Levy Berenbaum's Pie and Pastry Bible. Since then I've often updated the accompanying article and step-by-step tutorials to offer the best possible guidance on how to make it.

Want additional ways to make pie crust? Check out this post on How to Make Pie Dough by Hand or How to Make Pie Crust in a Stand Mixer for a more in-depth look at alternative methods.