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A glass pie plate with a fluted ubaked pie crust on a grey background. A rolling pin and flour sack towel are in the corner, with a bowl of diced peaches in the other corner.

3 Ingredient Pie Crust

A traditional all-butter pie crust only needs three simple ingredients - butter, flour and ice cold water. Add these together with a pinch of salt for a rich and flaky pie crust perfect for all your favorite pies.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 30 minutes
Rest Time (from 1 hour - 3 days) 3 days
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 346 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup ice-cold water

Instructions
 

  • Measure your flour into a large mixing bowl using the "scoop and level" method. Add the salt and stir to combine. Put the dry ingredients into the freezer to cool them down while you prepare the other ingredients.
  • Get a large bowl, and fill it with ice and water. You will need approximately 1/2 cup of ice water for this recipe, but I like to keep a whole bowl full of water next to me so it's easy to dip my measuring cup in and add water little by little. Just make sure to keep track of how much you are adding!
  • Get your butter out of the refrigerator. You want it as cold as possible, so make sure not to take it out until right before you are going to use it. Use a sharp knife to cut the butter into small cubes.
  • Remove the bowl of dry ingredients from the freezer. Add the cold butter cubes. Using a pastry cutter, mix the flour and butter together until the butter is in pea-sized pieces. Make sure not to over mix the butter. You want to see intact butter pieces in your pie crust because that's what leads to yummy flaky layers. Having a few pieces of butter that are closer to marble-size than pea-size is perfectly fine.
  • Slowly add ice cold water to the flour mixture, a little at a time. I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup and put in a full 1/4 cup first. Use a spoon to mix that into the dough. Then, slowly add more water about 1-2 tablespoons at a time, and mix that water into the dough. When the dough starts to hold together in larger clumps, stop adding water. If you can pinch the dough and it holds together, it's done. If it falls apart, you need a little more water. The dough will look shaggy. It should easily hold together, but should not be wet or sticky.
  • Dump the pie crust out onto a lightly floured surface. Put a little bit of flour on your hands, and use them to work the dough together into a ball. Don't knead the dough or work it any more than necessary to form a ball. Cut the ball of dough into two equal pieces, and form those into small discs, again working the dough as little as possible.
  • Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator to cool for at least two hours, and up to 3 days.
  • When your pie crust has cooled for the necessary time, remove one disc from the refrigerator (leave the other one in there until just before you are ready for it). Lightly flour your work surface, hands, and rolling pin. Unwrap the dough, and use the rolling pin to roll it into a thin circle. To roll the dough, use even pressure starting at the middle of the disc of dough and pressing outwards. Rotate the dough on your work surface occasionally as you roll it out to get a nice even thin circle. You will want to roll out your pie dough to about a 12-inch circle for a 9-inch pie plate.
  • Put your bottom crust in your pie pan. Fold the overhanging edge under to form a thicker rim of crust around the outside of the pie - you can use this to make a pretty fluted edge to your crust, or you can crimp it with the tines of a fork after adding your filling and top crust. Put the pie dish in the refrigerator while you roll out the top pie crust. When both pie crusts are done, proceed with your pie recipe!

Notes

Top Tips:
  • Keep the ingredients super cold at every step.
  • Work the dough as little as possible to get it to come together. You should see pea-sized dots of butter throughout your crust at the end.
  • You must let the pie crust rest at least two hours before rolling it out. Don't skip it!
  • Make an egg wash from 1 egg yolk and 1 teaspoon of water or milk. Use the egg wash on the top crust after assembly to help it reach a nice golden brown. You can also sprinkle a little coarse sugar on top for a pretty sparkle.
 
Safety Tip:
  • Be cautious about putting glass pie plates directly from a cold refrigerator into a hot oven. Some glass plates cannot withstand that temperature change and could crack. We want the pie crust to be as cold as possible before baking, but we DO NOT want your awesome homemade pie all over the bottom of your oven! If you have your glass pie plate in the refrigerator prior to baking, I suggest letting the glass come up to room temperature before putting it in the oven.

Nutrition

Calories: 346kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 4gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 295mgPotassium: 49mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.1gVitamin A: 709IUCalcium: 13mgIron: 2mg
Keyword 3 ingredient pie crust, butter pie crust, pie crust, pie dough
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