This easy flaky pie crust recipe is the staple you need for all of your pie needs this holiday season! With a buttery, golden brown crust and crazy flaky layers, it adds the perfect flavor and light crunch to accompany its sweet and savory fillings.
Best Flaky Pie Crust Recipe
This homemade flaky pie crust is a must-have for this holiday season! Not only is it buttery and delicious, but it is sturdy and incredibly versatile. You can use it with just about any pie filling, turn it into a hand pie, use it for cobblers, or savory dishes such as pot pie and quiche!
Flaky crust pies may look intimidating for those who have never made one. However, this recipe is quite simple, even for beginners. It takes just 15 minutes to prepare, using standard household pantry staples you probably already have at home.
This recipe uses the highest-quality natural ingredients for the best taste and flaky texture. Unlike other flaky pie crust recipes, this is an all butter pie crust and does not use shortening or lard. My top-notch ingredients and blind baking technique ensure that your pie never has bland, soggy bottoms!
Notes On What Makes a Pie Crust Flaky
There is nothing quite like a buttery, flaky pie crust to make each bite of your favorite pie unforgettable. However, the way you prepare the dough is critical.
The right dough temperature, level of hydration, and laminating technique will ensure you get those flaky layers you love. The method of baking is also critical.
Blind baking the pie crust will ensure an evenly baked, flaky, golden brown crust sturdy enough to hold all your favorite fillings. This technique also includes using pie weights, which prevent the crust from puffing up.
In summary, you will learn everything in this recipe about flaky pie crust, from using the right ingredients to applying the right assembling and baking techniques.
Katalin´s Take On Food Processor vs. Hand-Made Pie Dough
While a food processor can help make baking easy, I do not recommend using one for this recipe. Not only does a food processor use more water to hydrate the dough (which makes it easy to overhydrate), but it gives me even more dishes to wash!
Using your hands to combine the ingredients requires only a small amount of water at a time. It also lets you monitor how wet the dough is when moistening the dry, floury bits and keeps the butter in the dough in larger chunks (which adds to the super flaky texture).
Lastly, since working the dough quickly is critical to prevent it from overheating and becoming too sticky, it is best to use your hands versus dealing with a machine.
Overall, no, you don´t need a food processor to make flaky pie crust, in fact, I recommend not to use it at all.
Assemble the Pie Dough
Mix your all purpose flour, granulated sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Do not skip the salt, as it is essential to the flavor! Once thoroughly combined, place the mixture in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.
Cut your cold unsalted butter into small chunks and freeze them for 5-10 minutes.
Next, separately measure the water and apple cider vinegar and place them in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. Don't worry—you won't be able to taste the vinegar in the recipe. It is there to help make the dough more elastic and easier to work with.
Ensure all ingredients have chilled nicely; very cold ingredients are vital in holding the dough together. Then, remove them and add the very cold butter chunks into the bowl with the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, and salt).
Using your fingers, rub the mixture between your fingers until the consistency becomes sand-like. This process should take no longer than 2-3 minutes.
It's OK to leave some bigger chunks in the mixture without incorporating them entirely, as they will later contribute to the super flaky pie crust texture.
Add small amounts of the ice water and vinegar to the dough at a time, using a wooden spoon or spatula to stir after each addition. Once you've used most of the liquids, remove the well-hydrated part of the dough and continue adding water to the remaining dry dough. Only use enough to hydrate the dough without being too wet or having loose flour. You may need to use less, more, or all of it.
Using your hands only, work the dough over a lightly floured surface or silicone baking mat. It will appear crumbly at first but will eventually come together after about a minute. Don't knead or overwork the dough, as it will get too warm. Stop as soon as it comes together.
Press the dough into a disk, then cover it with plastic wrap. Let it rest in the fridge for at least two hours. Resting is mandatory, as it keeps the butter chilled, holds the dough together, and allows the gluten in the flour to develop.
Troubleshooting: How to Deal With Under vs Over-hydrated Dough
Having perfectly hydrated dough is critical to an easy-to-work-with flaky pie crust. If the dough is too sticky and hard to roll out, it is likely overhydrated. To fix it, place the dough back in the fridge for a few hours. Avoid adding more flour, as it may alter the ingredient proportions. However, if, even after chilling for a few hours, the dough is unreasonably wet, use a generous amount of flour during rolling.
The dough is likely underhydrated if your dough is difficult to bring together and still has large, dry flour chunks. Add a small amount of more ice water until it is properly hydrated.
Laminate the Pie Dough for Extra Flakiness
We will laminate the dough for extra flakiness, just like when making puff pastry.
After the dough has rested in the fridge for at least two hours, remove it and let it rest on the kitchen counter. Pay attention to the temperature– it should stay cold but warm up just enough to roll out without breaking.
Transfer the disk back to your silicone baking mat or lightly floured work surface, and use a rolling pin to roll it out. To ensure that the dough rolls out evenly, turn the dough with your hands after each rolling. If, at any point, the dough gets too warm or sticky, place it back in the freezer for a minute or so and continue with the recipe.
Once the dough has been rolled into a rectangle of approximately 11x17 inches / 28x43 cm, fold the left half over the right half (reducing the size of one side in half and creating a double crust).
Then, fold the bottom half over the top half (reducing the other side in half).
Fold the bottom half over the top half one more time to form a 5.5x4 inches / 14x11 cm eight-layer crust pie.
Cover the laminated dough with plastic wrap and return it to the fridge to rest for at least two more hours.
How to Blind Bake Pie Crust
After resting for at least two hours, divide the dough into two to make two 9-inch / 23 cm single-layer pie crusts.
If you use a 9-inch/23-cm pie dish, roll out the dough until it is 10 inches / 26cm in diameter. Never force or stretch it, as this can overheat the dough and cause the pie crust to shrink.
Lastly, proceed with baking, as I explain in my how to blind bake pie crust tutorial.
Storing & Freezing
You can easily store your flaky pie crust dough in advance for later use! If you plan to make your pie soon, you can store the pie dough in a sealed bag in the refrigerator for up to two days. When you are ready to use it, let the dough rest on the counter for a few minutes, then roll it out as instructed in the recipe.
You can freeze the dough in a sealed freezer bag for up to two months. However, remove as much air from the bag before freezing. Thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight, then proceed with rolling out the dough as instructed.
You can also freeze the dough right in the pan, but this will take up more freezer space, and use up one of your pans!
Flavor Variations
Although your pie filling will provide most of the flavor, you can add some flavor to the crust to make your pie even more irresistible!
Instead of regular all-purpose flour, you can add a nutty flavor by replacing some flour with almond or hazelnut flour. You can also achieve a nutty flavor by adding bits of black sesame seeds, as I do in my black sesame tart recipe.
You can add some freshly grated lemon, lime, or orange zest to the dough to give it a citrusy flavor or add a bit of vanilla extract to make it vanilla-flavored. Or, if you prefer chocolate, you can add cocoa powder, similar to how I flavor the tarts in my chocolate pate sable recipe.
To add warm flavor, sprinkle in cinnamon, nutmeg, or even pumpkin spice!
Ingredient Substitutions
To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour. However, as mentioned above, you may need to adjust the other ingredients to achieve the same texture and taste balance.
You can make butter substitutions, but to get a similar end texture, you should only use other high-fat products that closely resemble the original 82% fat content. Margarine is an acceptable substitute.
To make this recipe vegan-friendly, use vegan butter and a vegan alternative for the egg wash, as explained in my egg wash tutorial.
Before substituting any ingredient, remember that changing ingredients can affect the taste and texture and may require you to reformulate the other ingredients to achieve the same outcome. Unfortunately, I cannot provide specific instructions to accommodate every diet.
Expert Tips For Making Flaky Pie Crust
- Always use unsalted butter to avoid adding more salt to the dough. You can also make your butter at home. For the best taste and texture, use butter with a high-fat content. I use 82% fat in this recipe.
- Resting the dough in the fridge is a non-negotiable step. However, do not attempt to speed up the process in the freezer. If necessary, rest the dough in the fridge overnight.
- Work in a cool-temperature kitchen for the best baking environment that keeps the dough intact.
- Do not bake anything else in the oven at the same time. Otherwise, the steam will build up, affecting the results.
- If you notice that the pie crust edges are browning too much during baking, cover them with aluminum foil. In the end, they should be a nice golden brown color.
What Equipment To Use
A digital scale is a must-have piece of equipment when baking to give you the most accurate ingredient measurements.
Using a digital oven thermometer is also helpful since oven models can vary by a degree or two.
While you will prepare most of the dough with your hands, you will need a decent rolling pin to roll it out once it is done.
You'll need a pie dish (9 inch / 23 cm) for baking!
Try Some Of My Pie Recipes
A tasty pie is the perfect way to spruce up your dessert table and impress your guests during special occasions. Try this flaky pie crust with one of my many delicious pie recipes:
- Pumpkin Pie with Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Baileys Apple Pie
- Pumpkin Custard Pie
- Mini Strawberry Pies
- Peach Cobbler with Pie Crust
For even more eye-catching pies that don't require turning on the oven, check out my roundup of the Top 45+ Best Easy-to-Make No-Bake Pies!
Have You Tried This Recipe?
Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well! I would love to hear how your dessert turned out. Your feedback also helps other readers!
Flaky Pie Crust
Ingredients
Pie dough
- 375 g (3 cups) All purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Sugar
- 225 g (1 cups) Unsalted butter 82% fat, use it very cold
- 120 g (½ cups) Water use it very cold
- 30 g (2 tablespoons) Apple Cider vinegar
US customary cup measurement is an indicative figure only. Measure the ingredients with a digital scale by weight (gram). Baking is art but also science which requires precision and accuracy.
Instructions
Prepare the dough
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and salt until fully combined and place it into the freezer for 5-10 minutes.
- Cut the cold butter into small chunks and place it into the freezer for 5-10 minutes.
- Measure the water and vinegar separetely, and place them into the freezer as well for 5-10 minutes.
- Once all ingredients are nicely chilled, add very cold butter chunks into the bowl of flour and rub the mixture between your fingers until it becomes a sand-like consistency.
- Leave some bigger butter chunks in the mixture - this will encourage flaky pie texture on the pie crust - no need to fully incorporate the butter into the flour.
- Add very cold water and apple cider vinegar into the dough, a small amount at a time, and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon after each addition. Once about 75% of the liquid is used, take out the part of the dough from the bowl, that is already well hydrated, and only keep adding the water to the rest of the dry dough. You might need to use all the water, or slightly less, or very slightly more depending on the flour you are using and how neatly you hydrate the dough. What we want to achieve at the end is a dough that is evenly hydrated, but not too wet, neither too dry with loose flour in it.
- Now, on a lightly floured surface (or silicone making mat), start working the dough with your hands. First, it will look crumbly but it should come together in the next minute or so. Do not knead the dough as such, stop mixing, as soon as the dough comes together. Remember, leave in some butter chunks, do not overwork the dough, and do not use a mixer.
- Form a disk, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours.
Start the lamination
- After 2 hours, take the pie dough disk out of the fridge and let it rest few minutes on the kitchen counter. The dough should stay cold but slightly warmed up to be able to roll it out without breaking it.
- Transfer the disk to a silicone baking mat or a lightly floured surface and start rolling it out, make sure you turn the dough with your hands after each rolling so it will become even. No need to add too much flour while rolling, the pie dough should be cold enough not to stick to the kitchen counter. If at any point the dough gets too warm, pop it back into the freezer for a minute to chill then continue
- The goal is to roll the dough out into a rectangle of 11x17 inches / 28x43 cm relatively quickly without warming it up.
- Then, apply the following fold: Fold the left half over the right half. Then, you will get a 5.5x17 inches / 14x43 cm rectangle. Then, fold this long rectangle into half by folding the bottom half over the top half. You now have a 5.5x8.5 inches / 14x21.5 cm rectangle. Lastly, fold again the the bottom half over the top half, so you will end up with a 5.5x4 inches / 14x11 cm rectangle. That´s it, the folding is done, and you have 8 wonderful layers.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours.
Blind Baking
- The dough makes two 9-inch / 23 cm single layer pies. So, after the resting time, divide the dough into 2.
- If you are using a 9-inch / 23 cm pie dish, roll the dough to 10inch / 26 cm in diameter. Remember, do not force the dough. After rolling, it should stay smooth and cold, and easy to work with. The most common reason for pie crust shrinking is forcing and stretching it.
- Then, proceed with baking, as explained in my tutorial: how to blind bake pie crust.
Notes
- All ingredients, including butter, flour, and water, should be very cold.
- Making this flaky pie crust will take less than 5 minutes. If you are assembling the dough for more than 5 minutes, you are overworking it and risking warming the ingredients up too much with your hands.
- Resting the dough in the fridge is a must - you won't be able to roll it out without appropriate resting time (minimum two hours).
- When it comes to rolling, again, it can be done when the dough is at the right temperature. If it's too cold, it can crumble. If it's too warm, it can tear and stick.
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