All-Butter Pie Crust Pastry
Incredibly buttery, flaky all-butter pie crust from Sister Pie cookbook. European-style high-fat butter creates the most tender, flavorful pastry. Perfect for any pie.
Ingredients
Equipment Needed
- pastry blender
- rolling pin
Ingredients
Equipment Needed
- pastry blender
- rolling pin
Instructions
Prepare Ice Water
- 1
Make vinegar-water mixture
Put a few ice cubes in a 1-cup liquid measuring cup. Add cider vinegar and enough cold water to fill.
- 2
Mix dry ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and kosher salt.
Cut in Butter
- 1
Prepare butter
Chop butter into half-inch cubes. Add to flour mixture and toss to coat.
- 2
Cut butter into flour
Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut or rub butter into flour. Turn the bowl and toss the mixture occasionally so you don't miss any butter. The blender will clog occasionally; clean it out with your fingers or a butter knife. Stop when the largest chunks are pea-size and the rest of the mixture looks like canned Parmesan cheese.
Form Dough
- 1
Add liquid
Fish out ice, then evenly drizzle 1/2 cup vinegar-water mixture over flour mixture. (You probably won't need the remainder, but save it in case your pastry is very dry.) Toss with a fork until you can't see pools of liquid.
- 2
Bring dough together
Switch to hands: Scoop up as much of the mixture as you can, then smoosh it back into the bowl. It's OK to be a bit aggressive. Pressure will bring the mixture into a cohesive mass more effectively than water. Rotate the bowl a quarter-turn and repeat, as if kneading. When the dry bits at the bottom are gone, stop.
Chill Dough
- 1
Shape and wrap
Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and, if needed, knead a couple more times. Cut in half. Gently pat each portion into a 2-inch-thick disc and wrap in plastic wrap.
- 2
Refrigerate
Refrigerate at least 2 hours or, ideally, overnight before rolling.
Cook's Notes
From the Sister Pie cookbook by Lisa Ludwinski, inspired by the Detroit cafe. This recipe makes pastry for 2 single-crusted pies or 1 double-crusted or lattice-top pie. At Sister Pie, Lisa makes all her pies in shallow aluminum pie tins. If your pie dish is more than 3/4" deep, multiply this recipe by 1.5 so you have plenty of pastry to work with, especially for the bottom crust. European-style butter makes a world of difference in both flavor and texture—this is the most buttery tasting, flakiest all-butter crust. If you can afford the splurge, go for it. Pastry discs can be frozen up to 1 year; thaw 1 full day in the refrigerator before using.
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