Flaky All-Butter Pie Crust

I needed to learn how to make a fabulous flaky all-butter pie crust when I got married. The reason being was one of my husband’s favorite dessert’s is Razzleberry pie. I wanted the crust to be an all-butter pie crust. I learned a bunch about pie crusts, and I am excited to share it with you. This recipe is adapted from smitten kitchen’s original all butter pie crust recipe. This recipe yields enough for one double crust pie or two single pies.

What Makes a Flaky All-Butter Pie Crust?

The key to making pie crusts is everything needs to be cold. So why must everything in pie be cold? What I’ve learned that if the butter is small, pebble or cheese grater sized and cold it will make some air bubbles while it bakes. These little air bubbles kind of lift up the flour in different layers and produces the flakiness of a pie.

I measure out ½ c water and then I add some ice to the water to make it really cold. I then use that water for my dough. I normally use the water right away. I don’t use any of the ice just the water. If a small amount melts and then goes into the dough that’s ok. I don’t have the ice water sitting out so all of the ice melts then it would be more than ½ c of water.

Dividing the Dough

A lot of recipes I read said to divide the dough in half for a top and bottom layer for pie. I noticed that I was using more dough for my bottom layer so I finally started just dividing the dough with about 60% for the bottom and 40% for the top.

Moving Pie Dough

I used to try to move the entire circular dough from the counter into the pie dish and kept have part of it break. Then I learned to fold my pie dough into fourths and since it was smaller I could move it from the counter into the pie dish. I would then open it back up and be able to lay it out on my pie dish how I wanted it to be.

Golden Brown Crust

I experimented with a bunch of different ways to get a golden-brown crust on a pie. I love having a little bit of egg yolk and milk mixed together. The egg yolk is really what gives the pie crust the rich golden-brown color and I have a bunch on hand from macarons. I milk mixed into the egg yolk with milk so the crust doesn’t taste eggy. The milk also makes the egg yolk easier to spread. If you use just milk for the glaze it’s a lighter color (which is also fine). I glaze my pies and then about 30 minutes into baking I cover the crust with foil so it doesn’t brown any more.

Are you able to achieve a flaky crust?

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Flaky All Butter Pie Crust

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This recipe is enough for one double crust pie or two single pies.

Ingredients

• 2 ¼ c Flour
• 1 TBSP Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 cup unsalted cold butter (see note)
• ½ c cold water (see note)
• Glaze
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 TBSP milk

Instructions

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1) Use a pastry cutter to combine the flour, sugar, salt, cold butter and cold water (or if you are lucky to have a food processor use that). I normally use a pastry cutter.

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2) Refrigerate for at least an hour.

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3) Divide the dough approximately 60% and 40%. I like the larger part to be for the bottom and the smaller part to be for the covering of the pie.

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4) Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a large circle on a lightly floured surface.

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5) Fold the dough into fourths and then place it in an ungreased pie dish. Then open the dough back out.

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6) Add your pie filling and top with the other part of the pie dough.

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To achieve a nice golden brown color- glaze the pie.

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7) I mix the egg yolk and milk together.

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8) Using a pastry brush I put the mixture on the pie crust.

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9) After the pie crust has achieved the golden brown color you want. I cover the pie crust with foil so the pie can continue to bake but the top does not get too brown. Depending on how hot your oven is it's about 30 minutes into baking.

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*adapted from smitten kitchen

Notes

***Butter***- If the butter is too cold to combine or frozen you can use a cheese grater to grate your butter. You want the butter to be pebble in size not creamed together. When the pie curst bakes the little pebbles of butter will melt and the steam from the balls of butter are what create the flakiness of a pie crust. ***Cold Water***- I measure out ½ c water and then I add some ice to the water to make it really cold. I then use that water for my dough. I normally use the water right away. I don't use any of the ice just the water. If a small amount melts and then goes into the dough that's ok. I don't have the ice water sitting out so all of the ice melts then it would be more than ½ c of water.