All-Butter Pie Crust

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar (omit for savory crusts)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
4-5 tablespoons ice cold water

In a cold, large bowl, mix together flour, salt and sugar. Add in butter pieces and cut into the flour using a pastry blender or the tines of a fork until the crumbs range in size from small to pea-sized.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of water over the dough and fold in quickly. Continue folding in one tablespoon of water at a time until the flour and crumbs are just moistened and start sticking together in larger clumps. (Note: You may not use all of the water to achieve this.) Use your hands to pull the dough together and form two equal discs. Wrap in parchment or plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface and transfer to your pie plate. Bake according to your recipe directions.


Makes (2) 9″ pie crusts.

This recipe is a standard pate brisee recipe that can be found everywhere. 🙂