Name: Butter Flaky Pie Crust
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 255 min
Ingredients: 1.25 cups all-purpose flour; 0.25 teaspoon salt; 0.5 cup butter, diced and then chilled; 0.25 cup ice cold water, or as needed

Prep Time:

15 mins

Additional Time:

4 hrs

Total Time:

4 hrs 15 mins

Servings:

8

Yield:

1 (9-inch) single pie crust

Jump to Nutrition Facts

If you're intimidated by making homemade pie dough, you've come to the right place. This flaky pie crust is perfect for beginner bakers and seasoned professionals — it'll quickly become a staple in your recipe box.

close up view of a buttery flaky pie crust — Lindsey Hayes

Pie Crust Ingredients

You'll need just four ingredients for this top-rated flaky pie crust recipe:

Flour: This flaky pie crust recipe starts with all-purpose flour.
Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the flavor and promotes a tender, moist crust.
Butter: Cold butter adds rich flavor and creates steam as it melts, ensuring a perfectly flaky finished product.
Water: Cold water acts as a binding agent which holds the dry ingredients together. It also contributes to the flakiness of the crust as it evaporates.

a beautifully shiny browned lattice crust on an apple pie — cook399

What Makes a Pie Crust Flaky?

When it comes to making a flaky pie crust, it's all about the fat (in this case, butter). The fat works in two ways:

It coats the flour, preventing it from absorbing the liquid and creating gluten. Too much gluten produces a dense, chewy crust.
As the fat melts during baking, it leaves air pockets in the dough. The pockets fill with steam and expand, creating layers of flaky pastry crust.

For the flakiest crust, make sure your ingredients are as cold as possible to prevent the fat from melting before it makes it to the oven. It also helps to work with cold hands and, if possible, a marble rolling pin and cutting board.

How to Make a Flaky Pie Crust

You'll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here's a brief overview of what you can expect when you make this flaky pie crust:

Combine the flour and salt.
Cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add the cold water a tablespoon at a time.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Roll the dough into a circle, then press it into a pie plate. Trim the excess and flute the edges.

Cook’s Note

Dice the butter first, and then chill before using. If you dice chilled butter, it will be too warm to use in this recipe.
If you refrigerate the dough overnight, you may need to let it sit for a few minutes before rolling.

How to Use Pie Crust

Ready to use your favorite new tender, flaky, and buttery pie crust? You're in the right place. Try one of these top-rated recipes that start with a homemade pastry crust:

Explore our entire collection of Pie Recipes.

Apple Pie by Grandma Ople recipe on a gray pie plate — Allrecipes Magazine

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

"This was my first time ever making a pie crust and it turned out great (and beautiful)," raves Evan. "No more store-bought for me. There really is a difference!"

"Finally! After 39 years of looking for a pie crust that rolls out easily and can transfer to a pie pan without falling apart," says Jals. The dough is like elastic. I stumbled upon this recipe on Thanksgiving morning. I made it in my food processor. It is also very tasty!"

"I made a chicken pot pie with this crust and the crust was better than the filling," according to Lanae Reynolds. "I love this recipe and will continue to use it for any pie and cobbler."

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, diced and then chilled
¼ cup ice cold water, or as needed

Directions

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Use a pasty blender to cut in chilled, diced butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add 1 tablespoon cold water at a time, mixing with a spatula or your hands until the dough comes together; you may need less than 1/4 cup water. Shape dough into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Place chilled dough on a generously floured surface and roll out to an 11-inch circle, adding more flour to your rolling pin as needed. Carefully roll dough onto the rolling pin, then unroll over a 9-inch pie dish. Press dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the dish. Trim any excess dough and flute the edges.
Blind-bake or fill and bake as directed in your pie recipe.

Linz

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

173	Calories
12g	Fat
15g	Carbs
2g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8
Calories 173
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 12g	15%
Saturated Fat 7g	37%
Cholesterol 31mg	10%
Sodium 158mg	7%
Total Carbohydrate 15g	5%
Dietary Fiber 1g	2%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 7mg	1%
Iron 1mg	5%
Potassium 24mg	1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.