2 Crust All Butter Pie Dough Recipe

This is truly fail-proof pie crust. But, you have to weigh the ingredients and follow the steps exactly as described. All you need is good quality butter, all purpose flour, and a little sugar, salt and water. This recipe is enough for a double crust for a 9-inch pie dish. While it looks complicated at first, us the method once or twice and it will be your go-to crust forever more.

Ingredients
  

  • 20 tbsp (10 oz/ 284 grams) unsalted, chilled butter
  • 2 1/2 cups (12 ½ oz/ 354 g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp (1 oz/ 26/g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) ice water

Instructions
 

  • Grate 4 tbsp (2 oz/ 56 g) of butter on the large holes of a box grater directly into a shallow bowl or container and place it immediately into the freezer. Cut the remaining 16 tbsp (8 oz/228 g) of butter into 1 inch cubes.
  • In the work bowl of a food processor, place 1/½ cups (7 ½ oz/ 212 g) of flour, the sugar, and salt and pulse once or twice to combine. Add the cubed butter and process until a homogeneous paste forms, about 30 seconds to a minute.
  • Using your hands, carefully break up the paste into 2 inch chunks (they will be irregular in shape) and redistribute the chunks evenly around the processor blade. Add the remaining 1 cup of flour and pulse 4 to 5 times, until the mixture is broken into pieces no larger than 1 inch (most pieces will be smaller).
  • Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Add the frozen, grated butter and toss until the butter pieces are separated and coated with the flour. Work quickly, so you don't let the warmth of your hands melt the butter.
  • Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gently toss until the mixture is evenly moistened. Sprinkle the remaining 4 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture and toss to combine. Press the dough with the spatula until the dough sticks together. The dough will be sticky like cookie dough and much more moist than most pie dough, but, as it chills it will absorb some of the excess moisture.
  • Cut the dough into two even pieces. It helps to have you scale out and measure each piece so that they are approximately the same weight. Transfer each piece to sheet of plastic wrap and use the plastic wrap to press the dough into a neat 5-inch disk. Place the two wrapped disks in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to two days. If you are not using the dough soon, place the wrapped disks into a container and place in the freezer where they will keep for a month or so. Thaw disks completely before attempting to roll them out.d
  • On a well-floured counter, roll the first refrigerated disk into a 12-inch circle. Fold the dough over the rolling pin leaving room to place the pie dish next to the folded dough. Use the rolling pin to slide the dough onto the pie dish and unfold it leaving an even amount of overhanging dough. Press the dough into the bottom and against the sides of the dish. Follow the same procedure for rolling out the second/top crust. But, once it is rolled out, place the filling into the dish with the bottom crust in place, then fold the second crust over the rolling pin, position the filled dish next to the folded crust and use the rolling pin to lift and slide the top crust over the filling. Crimp and fold the edges of the two crusts together.
  • Bake in the middle position in a preheated 350° oven

Notes

You can also blind bake for a single crust pie using the usual method.  But, be sure to have plenty of dry beans or other weights to fill the dish right to the edges so that there are weights holding the sides of the dough firmly against the sides of the dish.