Perfect Pie Crust Recipe (2024)

can you save the dough if it gets too wet

I do appreciate seeing this mixing technique which I will definitely try, however the dough she rolls out is blatantly not the dough she just chilled! What was craggy and cracked is now perfectly smooth and rolls without a crack in sight. ???

CAn you substitute gluten free flour?

The recipe is fairly robust - extra flour is inevitably worked in as you roll the dough, but here is a scaling to a 9.5" pie:1.375 cups (11 volume oz), 180 grams, flour1/4 tsp (slightly rounded) salt128 grams (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp) butter(3 tbsp + 1 tsp) to (4 1/2 tbsp) cold water.

How does the dough go from the craggy disc that goes into the fridge to the smooth ball that’s shown in the shot where it’s rolled out? Seems like there’s something missing from the recipe.

As advertised..perfect crust. In a food processor, accurately measure the flour and salt. Measure and cut cold butter into 1/2 inch pieces then add to the flour. Pulse just a few short times to get large pieces of butter mixed in with the flour, add 4 tablespoons ice water, pulse 3-4 short times, and then dump it all onto a work surface. Firmly gather together with your hands into a mound. Gently knead and form a disk. Take it from there as written. Be gentle.

I have been making Melissa Clark’s all butter pie crust for a few years now, and I made this one for the first time today. This is a traditional, 160g flour to 115g butter isn’t anything new. However what is genius about this is the “tossing” technique that Erin recommends. My dough came together beautiful and easily—I used the 3 TBS at the outset and then only needed 2 more. I highly recommend trying it!

For those who have been asking how the dough goes from a kind of craggy disk to a smoother dough—the time in the fridge is the element that does this. The cold temperature is what allows the liquids and fats in the dough to meld more with the dry ingredients and hydrate those dry ingredients. That’s when after you have made a pie dough and put it in the fridge and let it rest, it comes out more pliable and less resistant.

DISASTERThe walnut sized butter is not amalgamated into the flour enough per written recipe. The flour was all that absorbed the water, making a flavorless paste with large pieces of butter that melted all over the oven. The fruit filling ran under the bottom crust and burned. Too tough to cut, impressively tough. Couldn't eat at our family T-Day dinner last night. Went into the trash. I have been making pies for more than 40 years. Will go back to Greg Patent's recipe.

Been making an Ina Garten pie crust for years. Tried this and it was a huge fail. Shrunk massively and butter pooling everywhere. Do not make this unless you have time to remake with a better recipe.

What temperature do you cook the single pie crust???????? Or I am missing it here?

I couldn't sit with this crushing defeat, and I attempted this crust several more times with the same results. But today I had a breakthrough. First, I could always feel the dough springing back when I crimped it, so it clearly was becoming too gluteny. This time I used even less water than I was comfortable with, and refrigerated it between rolling and crimping. Second, I baked it at 425 instead of the lower temps that most recipes call for, and I had virtually no droopage or melting. Success!

I am baffled by some of the comments I am reading here. I thought the technique described in this recipe yielded excellent results. Keeping the butter chunks larger than pea-sized, as most recipes call for, worked very well. And sprinking in the water with your fingertips was very effective.

I make this exact same recipe, every year, and it works for me. I usually make a double recipe, either in my stand mixer, or in a food processor. I've also made it Erin's way, by hand. It wasn't perfect the first few times I made it, but I got better each time. As with most things in life, practice MAKES perfect!

this recipe and technique worked like a dream. best pie crust i’ve ever made — everyone raves about it. this is my new go-to.

So you chill the dough for at least an hour or at least an hour and a half?

I ignored the instructions about walnut halves and cut it until it was the size of small peas. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly and it came out beatiful. I chilled it for about three hours and it was very easy to roll out. I find that longer chilling time makes for easier roll out. The crust did not burn even though I baked it at 425F for 45 minutes without covering the edges! It has a perfect flaky texture. This is my new go-to recipe for pie crust.

This makes for a fine pie crust, but it doesn’t have enough butter or sugar to be delicious. Too dry and doesn’t hold a crimp.

Crust was sturdy and very crisp, but like a dense crispy. And super buttery (thankful for the sheet pan I put under it while baking). I really love the ease of Trader Joe's pie crusts and usually use those--will likely go back as husband didn't love this crust and I don't know if I want to repeatedly try to master the technique

Novice here - I made this crust for a pumpkin pie, and it was so tough! I think I added too much water, but I really wasn't sure how to interpret "until the dough begins to come together." My dough was tacky, so I tried to incorporate more flour - but didn't want to work or knead it too much. I refrigerated it overnight. The pea-sized pieces of butter stayed intact in the dough, and melted down the sides of the pan and all over the oven floor. What am I doing wrong??

Bake at 425 for 15-20 min with pies weightsAnother 5-10 min after removing

42515-20 minutes with pie weights5-10 minutes more

4lbs of whole apples requires 12oz of berries.Do not peelSpice with extra ginger, cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg and lemon zest.Let condense for ~1 hourRun through a food mill or drum sieve to remove seedsShould yield 1 mason jar of extra apple butterReheat remaining apple butter with 2 1/2 TBPS corn starch

I make my pie crust with 75% leaf lard and 25% butter. Always comes out great and flaky. I freeze all the fats in finger nail size bits and freeze then. Then I slowly feed the food processor with the frozen fats and into the flour. I add ice water slowly and pulse the food processor a minimum amount of time

I’ve been trying to perfect pie crust for years with little success. Thanks to this perfect recipe I conquered this task! Finally, no more store bought dough for special occasions!!!

Worked beautifully.

Here’s an idea I picked up a while back:Instead of adding water, use vodka! The alcohol doesn’t do anything to the gluten. Go to your liquor cabinet and pull out something you’re not all that fond of to use. Scotch does NOT work but brandy does. Try it!

That video and the technique it demonstrates are fantastic! However, I feel like we need to have a national conversation about pie recipe ice water amounts. I don't believe that a lovely roll-able dough like the one that emerged from the fridge could ever be made with 3T ice water. Instead of "3-4T, plus more as needed," maybe write "as little as possible, but you'll need at least 4T."

I have never enjoyed making pie dough. This was perfect. Easy to assemble, the directions were perfect, and easy to work with. It didn’t fall apart and rolled really easily. And I liked that a food processor wasn’t required to make it, I hate using them. The flavor was wonderful, I used it for a quiche, the bottom didn’t get soggy and it flaky.

Made this twice. Both times it melted into puddles of butter, leaving behind a chewy shoe-leather crust. Going back to my regular recipe.