Baking Flaky Pie Crusts
A good crust should shatter when your fork hits it, not bend. The difference between a tough pastry and a light one is how little you handle the dough.
Temperature is your only enemy
If your butter gets greasy or soft, the flakes disappear. If the kitchen is warm, chill your flour and bowl before you begin.
- pastry blender or two butter knives
- large mixing bowl
- rolling pin
- plastic wrap
What goes in.
- 2 1/2 cupsall-purpose flour
- 1 tspkosher salt
- 1 cupunsalted butter, cubed and kept very cold
- 1/2 cupice water
Leave the butter chunks visible
Do not overwork the butter into the flour until it is a fine powder. Stop when you see marble-sized clumps; those are your future flakes.
The method.
Mix the dry
Whisk the flour and salt together in a chilled bowl.
Cut in the fat
Add the cold butter cubes. Use a pastry blender to cut them into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some larger, pea-sized chunks of butter remaining.
Hydrate
Drizzle 4 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture. Toss with a fork. Keep adding water one tablespoon at a time until the dough just barely clumps together when you squeeze a handful.
Rest
Divide the dough into two discs, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for at least two hours. Do not skip this; it lets the gluten relax.
Roll
Roll the cold dough on a lightly floured surface, moving from the center outward. If it starts to feel soft, slide it back into the fridge for ten minutes before finishing.
Other turns to take.
Lard crust
Replace half the butter with chilled lard for a more structural, crumbly texture.
Sugar crust
Add one tablespoon of granulated sugar to the flour for fruit pies that need a bit of sweetness.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Always use the coldest water possible; drop an ice cube into your measuring cup before you start.
If the dough cracks while rolling, just press it back together with your fingers and keep going.
Bake at a high temperature, around 400°F (200°C), to ensure the water in the butter evaporates quickly, creating the lift needed for flakiness.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why is my crust tough instead of flaky?
You likely added too much water or worked the dough too much, which develops gluten and makes it elastic rather than tender.
Can I use a food processor?
Yes, but use the pulse button only. Stop before the butter is fully incorporated; it takes seconds to go from perfect to over-processed.
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