Delish Perfect Pie Crust
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, cut into 1/2" pieces
- 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 4 tbsp. ice water (or more, if needed)
DIRECTIONS
- Place butter and flour into freezer for 30 minutes before starting crust process. (You want them SUPER cold.)
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. (Alternately, you can do this in a food processor.) Add butter and, using your hands, mix together until pea-sized and some slightly larger pieces form. Add vinegar and then ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough starts to come together and is moist but not wet and sticky (test by squeezing some with your fingers). Mixture will be crumbly.
- Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Flatten into a disk (making sure there are no/minimal cracks).
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is very cold, at least 2 hours or up to overnight. (Making a top crust? This recipe doubles easily!)
Note This recipe creates enough for one bottom pie crust, so if you want to create a lattice or a full-on top crust (like for our perfect apple pie), simply double this recipe.
Three things you need to keep in mind when making pie crust:
1. Your butter needs to be SUPER COLD. This is not an overstatement—softened butter or butter that's beginning to warm up will make the dough tough to work with. Don't remove the butter from the fridge until you're ready to start.
2. Break down the butter...but not too much. Most recipes call for breaking down the butter into pea-sized clumps, which is true, but you'll want to keep some bigger pieces, too. These will ultimately help create a crust with flaky layering.
3. Mix with your hands. Yes, you can totally transfer the butter-flour mixture to a food processor, but it's not totally necessary. Working with your hands will ensure your control over the dough.
4. Apple cider vinegar is the secret. Pie crust recipes often call for a tablespoon of vinegar or vodka as a secret ingredient for creating even flakier dough. We love apple cider vinegar—it will prevent the rise of gluten, which can create a tougher crust.
5. Yes, you need to add your ice water by the tablespoon. After working the flour and butter, you'll need a little bit of water to help bring together the dough. Make sure it's ice cold; otherwise, the butter will begin to melt and you'll miss out on flakiness :) Simply fill a bowl with ice and add water, then scoop it out as needed by the tablespoon, working the dough after each, until it comes together nicely.
