The most important thing for a good pie crust is cold butter. Using cold butter is what gives a good pie crust its flake. This is also why it’s important to use cold water at the end to bring the dough together. Using water that isn’t cold will begin to make the butter soften, which will affect the flakiness.
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Continue reading after the recipe card for step-by-step photos.
Pie Crust
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp sugar optional, omit if making a savory pie
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup cold butter, cut into small cubes (1 stick)
- ¼ cup cold water
Instructions
- Add flour, salt, and (optional) sugar to the bowl of a food processor.
- Add butter.
- Pulse until dry crumbs form.
- Add cold water 1 tbsp at a time, pulsing several times after adding, until crumbs become wet. Do not over-process or allow a dough ball to begin to form.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Form dough into a disc.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Step-By-Step Photos
Add flour, salt, and (optional) sugar to the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter.

Pulse until dry crumbs form.

Add cold water 1 tbsp at a time, pulsing several times after adding, until crumbs become wet. Do not over-process or allow a dough ball to begin to form.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface.

Form dough into a disc. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.



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