An easy buttery flaky pie crust recipe that, go figure, uses butter to make the pie crust. The butter ensures a flaky pie crust with amazing flavor! Yes, trust me, this homemade flaky pie crust is easy to make and everyone will love it. Let the food processor do all the work and you will have the most amazing buttery pie crust. Everyone will love your pie and want the pie crust recipe!
Last week, I shared a family favorite Old Fashioned Coconut Custard Pie.
It got me thinking, why have I not shared with you all the easiest pie crust recipe ever! This is my favorite buttery flaky pie crust that assembles super fast. The key is using your food processor to make this pie crust. You will be the pie crust, Queen or King!
Tips To Make a Flaky Pie Crust:
Why use butter and not lard or shortening to make a flaky pie crust recipe?
It is a personal choice, so here is why I love butter in my pie crust. I find butter adds amazing flavor and the crust is light. It is not only hard to find but also full of fat. So I won't use it. Shortening is also 100 percent fat so I don't want to use it, too unhealthy.
Can homemade butter pie crust from scratch be frozen?
Absolutely. Especially during the Holidays. I make a few of these pie crusts and freeze them until I am ready to make the pies. It saves so much time. The dough should be wrapped well and kept in a freezer safe bag. These butter pie crusts can be kept for about 3 months in the freezer.
What to do with a flaky pie crust that gets soft when rolling or the dough breaks?
As you make more pie crusts, experience brings quickness. So trust me, practice makes it easy. At the beginning of learning how to make pie crusts, the dough can get soft and break if you are working with it for a long period of time. If that happens, roll the dough back into a disk, stick the dough in the freezer for about 10 minutes. The dough will be easy to work with again.
Can you use salted butter to make this buttery flaky pie crust recipe?
Sure, if you do not have unsalted butter, use salted butter. Just leave out the salt when making the pie crust.
How do I get my butter pie dough in a circular shape?
Once you are ready to roll out the dough, place the dough sphere in the center of the work surface and lightly flour the surface and begin to roll the dough from the area closest to you and roll across to the opposite side of the dough. Continue to rotate the dough about 20 degrees and continue to roll and flour the surface until the dough is the size you desire.
When baking a pie crust without filling do I need to use pie weights?
Pie Weights can be purchased through Amazon or baking supply shops. The weights keep the pie from rising while it is baking. This can happen when the crust is baked without filling. You can use uncooked beans, popcorn kernels, or rice in the middle of the pie crust while it is baking. Remove whatever you have in the middle of pie crust once the pie is baked.
How to make an easy Flaky Pie Crust:
- In a food processor, combine all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Pulse the food processor about 3 times to mix the dry ingredients.
- Add in the cut-up unsalted butter pieces.
- Pulse the dough around 12-15 times. The butter pieces should be incorporated into the dough.
- Add in the egg to the pie dough mixture.
- Pulse until the dough forms a ball about 8-10 times.
- Remove the dough from the food processor. Place on a work surface that is sprinkled with flour.
- The butter pie dough should be refrigerated for an hour if you will be using it that day. After an hour, remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on the floured work surface. Roll out the dough as instructed above with the directions on how to get your dough in the shape of a circle.
- Roll the pie dough into the size you prefer. I use a pie mat that shows the diameter of various size pies. I also place the pie plate on top of the dough to ensure I will have enough dough to make a nice design with the edges of the dough.
- To place the dough in the pie pan, roll the dough onto the roller about half way and place into the pie pan.
- Roll the dough out into the pie pan.
- For a one-crust butter pie crust, crimp the edges of the dough by using your fingers to pinch the edges and proceed with your recipe.
This buttery flaky pie crust I used to make Old Fashioned Coconut Custard Pie.
Some other dessert favorites you make enjoy:
Chocolate Coconut Cream Cheese Bundt Cake
How to make a Perfect Irish Coffee
When you make this delicious flaky pie crust, take a pic and tag me on Instagram @everyday_eileen or #everydayeileen
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Love making this easy buttery flaky pie crust recipe, giving it a 5-star rating is super helpful for me and very much appreciated!
📖 Recipe
Buttery Flaky Pie Crust
Ingredients
Instructions
- Into a food processor with S-blade, add 1¼ cups all-purpose flour, 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and ⅛ teaspoon baking soda . Pulse 3 times to combine the dry ingredients.
- Add 4 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter to the dry ingredients in the food processor. Pulse 15 times, the flour combination should resemble sand.
- Add 1 large egg to the food processor and pulse 5 times.
- Add up to 4 Tablespoons cold water to the pie crust mix. Pulse about 8 -10 times. The mix will form into a ball.
- Remove the dough from the food processor and place on a floured work surface. Form the dough into a disk and place in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. At this point, the dough can be wrapped well in plastic wrap and placed in a freezer bag and frozen until ready to use.
- Remove dough from the refrigerator and place on a floured work surface.
- Once you are ready to roll out the dough, place the dough sphere in the center of the work surface. Lightly flour the surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough from the area closest to you. Roll across to the opposite side of the dough. Continue rotating the dough about 20 degrees, and roll the pie crust until it's the size you desire.
- Place the pie plate on top of the dough to ensure you have enough dough to make a nice design with the edges of the dough.
- To place the dough in the pie pan, roll the dough onto the roller about half way and place into the pie pan.
- Roll the dough out into the pie pan. For a one-crust pastry dough, crimp the edges of the dough by using your fingers to pinch the edges.
- At this point, if using a single pie crust, follow the directions for your pie. If pre-baking the pie crust, use a pie weight to keep the crust down. (Note 1) Otherwise, use the pie recipe to bake the pie and crust together.
- Baking a double pie crust, follow steps 1-5 using measurements from double pie crust ingredients. Divide the dough in half before placing in the refrigerator. Use a food scale to weigh and divide dough. Follow the recipe instructions to make your pie with this pie crust.
- Any nutritional value used is an estimate. These figures can change based on ingredients and portion size
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please consult a professional for strict dietary needs.
Pin How to Make a Flaky Pie Crust anytime here:
Here are some great pies from some of my favorite blogs that you can make with my Flaky Pie Crust Recipe:
Savory Tomato Pie with a Premade Pie Crust
If you are looking for a Vegan filling to have the best of both worlds of an all-butter pie crust and healthier Vegan filling, these are for you:
Quick and Easy Vegan Pumpkin PIe
Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Tart
Michael Simmons
Absolutely THE best pie crust I have ever used. Not only is it incredibly simple, but 100% amazing. Flaky and delicious. It has been a smashing success the last 3 times I have used it!
Thank you for sharing this recipe with us, Eileen!
Eileen xo
I am so happy the pie crust works well for you! It is an easy and delicious crust! Thanks for letting me know! You made my day!
Emily Leary
I too make my pastry in the food processor. I love that it gives a light, even crumb with no danger of over handling with warm hands.
Eileen xo
I agree Emily! The food processor makes it so much easier to make a flaky pie crust!
Nicole
Your crust looks so perfect! I think I am going to have to refer to this recipe as my go-to pie crust.
Eileen xo
Thank you so much Nicole! I am so happy the pie crust is good for you!
Vanessa Vickery
Love finding good homemade pie crust recipes! Pinning for later
Eileen xo
Thank you, Vannesa! I am glad you are using this pie crust recipe!
Karyl Henry
I've never made pie crust from scratch before, because I always thought it was difficult. But this looks quite easy, especially with your very helpful tips. I really need to dive in head first and try it out this holiday season
Eileen xo
Karyl,this is so easy! I hope you make and enjoy!
Michele
This pie crust looks perfect! This recipe comes just in time for pie season! It definitely looks easy and your process pictures are such a big help. A good pie crust recipe is something every baker should have!
Eileen xo
Thank you Michele! I hope you enjoy and I hope the step by step pics help!
DANIELA
I love this recipe because it's so easy! Just perfect for the holidays when you can start feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the cooking that you still have to do.
Eileen xo
Thank you Daniela! I hope you enjoy the pie crust!
Amanda Mason
What a helpful post!! Love the details and the process pictures! This recipe is going to come in handy this holiday season!
Eileen xo
Awesome Amanda! I am so happy you enjoy the pie crust!
Ruchi
Homemade pie crust is so much better then store bought!Oh, once you try is, you always will make it at home!
Eileen xo
Absolutely Ruchi! I so agree!
Chef Markus Mueller
Love making my own pie dough! It's so simple, and you can use healthier ingredients then what commercial products use! So good for making your own pumpkin pie's, apples pie's, lemon tarts! you name it!
Eileen xo
Absolutely Chef! So true!
Nicoletta Sugarlovespices
There's nothing better than making your own pie crust. So satisfactory! I also like using butter, sometimes butter and shortening. This looks like a great recipe!
Eileen xo
I don't use butter and shortening together, I have to give it a try!
Renee Gardner
I love a good all butter crust! Not only is the flavor better, but it uses a fat I already have on hand. As someone who cooks exclusively with salted butter, the half stick you have in your recipe only contains 1/8 tsp of salt compared to unsalted butter. If you make the swap you should cut the added salt from 1/4 tsp to 1/8 tsp to keep the flavor the same instead of omitting the extra salt all together. Thanks for sharing your detailed recipe!
Eileen xo
Thank you for your comments Renee! In the blog post I have info about using salted butter. I am updating the recipe to include the use of salted butter. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!
Anna Hettick
The butterier the better for pie crust in my opinion! Ha! I am not a baker though so maybe that's not how it works. So glad this is an EASY pie crust recipe!!
Eileen xo
I so agree Anna! buttery and delicious!
Dominique | Perchance to Cook
Well this pie crust looks just perfect! It's always great to have a classic recipe like this in your pocket because you can use it for so many things... including savory pies! Pinning this!
Eileen xo
Thank you Dominique! I hope you enjoy the pie crust over and over!
lauren
Ok, well now you've done it. I am constantly avoiding making my own pie crust, but this sounds so easy I'll actually have to give it a try. I don't know if it was too many failed attempts in my past, but this looks beautiful - I want beautiful pie crusts too!
Eileen xo
Thank you Lauren, making pie crust is easier than you think. I hope you give it a try!
Tabitha Hills
I have been wanting to make a homemade pie crust and this is a great one for me. I cannot wait to make this crust with my strawberries.
Eileen xo
Tabitha, that is wonderful. Please send me a pic when you make the strawberry pie