Extra-Flaky Pie Crust
Total Time
1 hour 15 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Rating
0 out of 5 stars
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Ingredients
1 standard double
- 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
- 1 cup (230 grams, 8 ounces, or 16 tablespoons) cold, unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup (120 grams) very cold water
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Preparation
Step 1
Place your flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
Step 2
Cut your butter into small cubes (1/2-inch is ideal here) and add them into the flour mixture. Toss them around so that they’re coated and used your fingers to squash each butter cube into flatter, lima-bean like pieces.
Step 3
Pour water over butter-flour mixture and use a flexible silicone spatula or scraper to bring it together into a dough that will seem too wet and sticky, but will be just fine.
Step 4
Divide dough into two parts, and wrap each half into flat-ish packets wrapped in plastic, waxed or parchment paper.
Step 5
Chill in the fridge until firm — one to two hours.
Step 6
Unwrap the first packet of dough, place on a well-floured counter, sprinkle the top generously with flour, and roll it out into a thick-ish long rectangle.
Step 7
Brush off excess flour off dough with your hands and fold it as you would a business letter, into thirds.
Step 8
Continue to roll this packet into the shape needed for your final pie — shown here 10×15-inch, but a 14-inch round is the usual size for a standard pie crust.
Step 9
Follow the instructions for the pie you’re making.
Step 10
Save recipe for the next time?
Chef's notes
Previously, the pie dough rules were:
use all butter, keep everything cold, use a pastry blender, work the butter into the flour until the largest bits are the size of small peas, and only use enough water to pull the dough together.
This recipe involves mixing your dough with your fingers, allowing butter cubes to remain larger, and adding a little folding to the rolling-out steps to improve structure and increase the expansion of flaky layers.
Stella Park’s No-Stress, Super-Flaky Pie Crust technique influenced the use of wetter doughs and folded roll-outs.
You can use a pastry blender, stand mixer, or food processor, but be cautious to maintain the lima bean-sized butter pieces.
