After years of experimentation with fussy techniques and too many recipes to count, I finally learned the secret to a perfect butter pie crust courtesy of a hands-on tutorial by the lovely Kate Lebo (author of "Pie School: Lessons in Fruit, Flour & Butter"). And I have been reveling in pie crust confidence ever since. Thank you, Kate! Startlingly easy to prepare, beautifully golden, and exceptionally tender, her technique for butter pie crust was a revelation. It turns out there are three non-negotiable keys to success, but they are mercifully simple: use the right butter, mix everything together with your hands, and last but not least, trust your instincts. A good rule of thumb in general.
Ingredients for Butter Pie Crust
- unsalted Kerrygold butter (pardon the brand specificity, but it is truly imperative here...the grass-fed milk, higher fat content, and superior texture of this butter results in a completely different pie crust than one made with other alternatives)
- all purpose flour
- baker's sugar
- kosher salt
- ice water
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions for Butter Pie Crust
First, drop a few ice cubes into a glass of water and set it aside. In the meantime, whisk together all of the dry ingredients and cut the butter into small, roughly equal sized pieces.
The easiest way to achieve pieces of the same size is to begin by dividing the butter lengthwise into four equal parts and then dividing those four into eight.
Once the butter is divided into eight parts, then cut them widthwise into small squares, about an eighth to a quarter of an inch thick. (No need to be super precise about these measurements though...the goal is just to end up with small pieces of roughly equal size.)
Add the butter pieces to the flour mixture. Then briefly toss everything together to lightly coat the butter in the flour before moving on to the next steps.
Mixing the Dough
Use your hands to scoop up handfuls of the butter and flour mixture. Then with your palms facing up towards your face, use your thumbs to firmly rub the mixture upwards across the tips of your fingers. In a rapid fluttering motion, simply repeat this movement, flattening and breaking the butter into smaller bits.
Repeat this scooping and fluttering motion, letting the shaggy bits of the mixture continually fall back into the bowl as you gradually incorporate the butter into the flour.
When the mixture appears pale yellow, coarse, and all of the butter has been reduced to bits roughly no larger than pistachios, it is ready for the next step. Another indication that everything is sufficiently incorporated is when you can actually begin to smell the butter.
Add about a quarter cup of the ice water to start, drizzling it evenly over the mixture. Then begin gently tossing everything together with your hands.
As the mixture starts to cohere, begin to press it together. If it doesn't seem to be sticking together very well, just gradually add more ice water until it does. (Typically up to about a half cup in total.)
When the mixture starts to adhere into larger clumps, gather and press them together into a ball.
Divide the ball of dough in half and press it into two fat disks. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour before rolling out and baking the dough.
Hint: It is important to resist the temptation to over work the mixture while incorporating the butter into the flour. Streaks of butter should still be visible here and there when the dough is finished.
Storage
Butter pie crust dough can be stored in the refrigerator for about a day or in the freezer for a couple of months. Just be sure to wrap the disks really well in plastic. For freezing, I recommend placing the plastic wrapped dough into a seal-top plastic freezer bag for extra insurance.
📖 Recipe
Butter Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baker's sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted Kerrygold butter do not substitute another brand
- ice water typically somewhere between ¼ to ½ cup
Instructions
Preparation
- Drop a few ice cubes into a glass of water and set it aside.
- Whisk together all of the dry ingredients.
- Cut the butter into small, roughly equal sized, pieces.
- Add the butter pieces to the flour mixture. Briefly toss everything together to lightly coat the butter in the flour before proceeding to mix the dough.
Mixing the Dough
- Use your hands to scoop up handfuls of the butter and flour mixture. Then with your palms facing up towards your face, use your thumbs to firmly rub the mixture upwards across the tips of your fingers. In a rapid fluttering motion, repeat this movement, flattening and breaking the butter into smaller bits. Continue this motion, letting the shaggy bits of this mixture continually fall back into the bowl as you gradually incorporate the butter into the flour.
- When the mixture appears pale yellow, coarse, and all of the butter has been reduced to bits roughly no larger than pistachios, it is ready for the next step. (Another clue that the mixture is sufficiently incorporated is when you can actually begin to smell the butter.)
- Add about ¼ cup of the ice water to start, drizzling it evenly over the mixture, and begin gently tossing everything together with your hands.
- As the mixture starts to cohere, begin to press it together with your hands. If it doesn't seem to be sticking together, just gradually add more ice water until it does. (Up to about ½ cup total.) When the mixture starts to adhere into larger clumps, gather and press them together into a ball
- For a double crust pie, divide the ball of dough into two pieces, making sure one is a bit larger than the other. (For two single crust pies, divide the dough evenly in half.) Press each piece of dough into a fat disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate for at least an hour before rolling out and baking the dough.
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