There are so many recipes for pie dough (SO many). This one from Stacie’s cookbook, Make It Easy, is a simple, everyday recipe that balances solid technique with accessible ingredients and a simple process. In other words, this is how you make pie dough when you want to make it easy and would rather not buy a store-bought crust.
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Easy Breezy Pie Dough
- Yield: Makes enough for one 9-inch double-crust pie
Description
There are so many recipes for pie dough (SO many). This one from Stacie’s cookbook, Make It Easy, is a simple, everyday recipe that balances solid technique with accessible ingredients and a simple process. In other words, this is how you make pie dough when you want to make it easy and would rather not buy a store-bought crust.
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
13 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, very cold and cut into pieces
½ cup ice cold water
Instructions
- Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter, one piece at a time, pulsing after each piece. (TIP: Keep half of the pieces of butter in the freezer to stay very cold while you combine the first half.) Continue until all the butter has been added and the dough resembles coarse sand.
- Sprinkle the dough with about ¼ cup of the cold water and pulse again until the dough is crumbly but holds together when rolled with your hands. If necessary, add the remaining cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Only add as much water as you need to get the dough to a place where it holds together when rolled (but still looks like coarse sand; we do not want it to form a ball on its own in the food processor).
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface; you’ll have to pack the dough together using your hands, since it should still be crumbly. Patiently pat and roll the dough into a ball, then cut in a half. Roll each half into a ball and, one at a time, gently flatten each to form a disk about ¾ inch thick. Wrap both disks very tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days. If not using immediately, freeze the disks for up to 3 months, making sure to thaw before using.
- When ready to use, remove the dough from the refrigerator, one disk at a time, and place on a lightly floured work surface. Lightly flour your rolling pin as well, and roll the disk into a 13-inch round with even thickness throughout, turning, flipping, and lightly flouring the dough as necessary as you go. Transfer the rolled dough to a pie plate, gently easing it into the bottom and up the sides. Trim any excess overhang with kitchen shears or a paring knife. If making a double crust pie, place the dough-lined pie plate in the refrigerator and repeat the rolling process with the second disk to top the filling when ready.
Notes
There are a million “secrets” to perfect pie dough, from vodka to egg yolks, but we’ve found that very cold butter is most important. The colder your butter is as you blend, pat, and roll your pie dough, the more likely it is to keep from melting into the dough. The more pockets of solid butter you achieve, the flakier your pie dough.
