Flaky Homemade All Butter Pie Crust (gluten free option!)

 

 

For a baker, there is nothing quite as gratifying as crafting a pie wholly from beginning to end. Pies are generally created for holidays or other noteworthy circumstances, and there’s a convincing explanation behind that: making them takes a lot of effort. This shouldn’t scare you! It should intrigue you. If you have never attempted creating a pie crust from the beginning, then this guide is made for you! If you have the right skills, you will make a lovely, rich, and flaky pie crust every single time.

These posts are meant to aid beginners or those needing to brush up on their cooking techniques so that they feel more secure using the kitchen. Once you gain a good understanding of a few fundamental fundamentals and techniques, you can easily apply them to make fresh and intriguing recipes and dishes without too much difficulty.

Have you ever found yourself surprised by someone’s ability to whip up a dish with ease and no recipe? This is probably because they have studied and understand the core elements of cooking.

Having the necessary skills to make a pie crust can open up a whole world of baking possibilities, from sweet treats to savory pies and quiche. Once you are comfortable with creating the crust, you are good to go! And that’s exciting! The type of filling you choose for your pie – such as apple or banana cream, or even eggs and cheese – will not matter as much as the quality of the crust when it comes to how good the pie turns out.

Flaky Homemade All Butter Pie Crust (gluten free option!)

The delightfully flaky, buttery crust is often the favorite part of a pie. The perfect blend of a light, crisp pastry crust and scrumptious pie filling…PERFECTION!

This homemade all butter pie crust produces consistently great results every time! Making a tasty pie crust is easy with just a few basic ingredients! Enjoy using it with all of your most luscious pie and quiche recipes.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This recipe requires a standard, all-purpose white flour. If you require a gluten free alternative, I have included my preferred gluten free flour in this message.

In this pie crust, butter is the star of the performance, so it is essential to select a high-quality kind. I like to treat myself when making a pie crust, opting for a high-quality, grass-fed butter with a dark hue to get the ideal taste.

The importance of incorporating salt when baking cannot be understated, as it adds a great deal of flavor to the mixture.

When creating pastry crust, it is paramount to retain a cooler temperature so the butter doesn’t get warm. So, by using ice water, the coldness is maintained.

I like to put some sugar in my pie crust if I am baking a sweet pie; however, this is not necessary.

How to Make Pie Crust

Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl, making sure they are thoroughly mixed.

Scatter the chopped, chilled butter over the flour. Employ a pastry cutter to mix the butter into the flour until you have sizable lumps of butter that are encapsulated in flour.

Step Three: Next, add the ice water. Pour the ice water into the mixture, 2 tablespoons at a time, and mix it into the dough. Pour a small amount of liquid into the dough until it begins to stick. You can tell that the dough is ready when you press it together between your fingers and it holds its shape. If the mixture is too dry, try adding a little extra water.

For Step Four, place the dough onto a counter or table that has been covered with flour. Shape the dough into a sphere with your palms and split it into two portions. Shape each portion into a flat circular shape and cover with plastic wrap.

Allow the dough to chill in the refrigerator for at least half an hour before utilizing it.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator when you are ready to utilize it. If the dough has been cooling inside the refrigerator for more than one hour, let it sit for between 5-10 minutes ahead of rolling so as to avert cracking in the core. If the dough starts to tear open in the middle, it’s a sign that it’s too chilly. Allow it to remain at the room temperature for a few additional minutes before continuing to roll it out.

How to Roll Out Pie Dough

After your pastry has been in the refrigerator, it’s time to flatten it and then you can begin making your pie! Here are a few of my favorite tips for rolling out your dough:

• Flour your surface and rolling pin to ensure that the pie dough does not stick to either surface.
• If your dough begins to crack as soon as you start rolling, it’s likely too cold to roll. You can let the pie crust sit on the counter for 5 minutes to warm just a bit to help prevent the crust from cracking.
• Roll the pie crust from the center and apply gentle, even pressure.
• To get an even circle, roll outward from the center and use a dough scraper to turn the dough 90 degrees after each roll.
• Try to work quickly! You want to keep that butter chilled in the dough for the flakiest pastry, so try to work quickly to prevent the butter melting into the dough.

Helpful Kitchen Tools

• DOUGH CUTTER
• ROLLING PIN
• GLASS PIE DISH
• PASTRY BRUSH
• PIE WEIGHTS
• PARCHMENT PAPER

Flaxy Homemade All Butter Pie Crust Questions and Answers 

Can I Use Gluten Free Flour?

Yes! I experimented with this recipe using both traditional all-purpose flour and a variety of different gluten-free flours. Eventually, I determined that CUP 4 CUP multi-purpose gluten free flour was the ideal substitution to use in place of regular flour for this recipe.

This flour was a breeze to manage, flatten, and the outcome was analogous to all purpose flour. The gluten free pie crust was more compact than the one made from regular flour, but it was still wonderfully crisp and tasty! I don’t believe anybody would be aware of a variation.

Can I Use a Grain Free Flour?

I have not tried using alternative grain-free flour types such as almond flour, coconut flour, or cassava flour in place of all-purpose flour for this recipe, so I doubt it would turn out without additional recipe alterations.

Is Pie Crust Better With Butter or Shortening?

I combine both shortening and butter when making this pie crust as it makes a phenomenal crust. Buttery, flaky, and tender: the pie-fect trifecta.

• What does butter do? Butter adds flavor and flakiness.
• What does shortening do? Shortening helps the dough stay pliable, which is helpful when you’re rolling and shaping it. Plus, shortening’s high melting point helps the crust stay tender and maintain its shape as it bakes. Have you ever had a butter pie crust lose its shape completely? Shortening is “shape insurance.” 

If you would prefer not to employ shortening, you can try an all-butter pie crust instead. Let’s compare:

• Using all butter creates a lighter-textured crust and this is due to the butter’s water content. As the crust bakes, the butter’s water converts to steam, lifting up the dough and creating flaky layers. But because of all this butter, the crust doesn’t usually have a perfectly neat-edge/shape compared to the shortening and butter combination.

Both crusts taste buttery and flaky. Generally, this butter-and-shortening crust has the best taste and consistency; also, if you adhere faithfully to the recipe for the pie crust, it will keep its form.

Can I Freeze Pie Dough?

Yes, absolutely, and I encourage it! You can make pie crust in advance since it will store well when frozen. Place the pie dough circles that are wrapped tightly in the freezer for a maximum of 3 months.

If you anticipate needing a lot of pies in the vicinity of special occasions or when a specific fruit is in season (cherry pie, anybody?), you can save time on the day you intend to make pies from scratch by pre-baking crusts and storing them in the fridge.

Allow the pie crust dough to become unfrozen in the fridge during the night prior to flattening it out. It’s going to be extremely frigid, which is an ideal opening.

Troubleshooting Pie Crust

• Pie crust is tough: Tough crusts are the result of not enough fat in the crust, as well as overworking the dough. Use the recipe below (plenty of fat) and avoid handling the dough more than you need.
• Don’t have enough pie dough: This recipe yields 2 pie crusts. To ensure you have enough pie dough for overhang and a pretty topping, roll your dough out to a 12-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick.
• Pie crust shrinks down the sides of the dish when baking: This can happen when par-baking a pie crust. See section below.
• Pie dough is dry & cracking around edges when rolling: Use enough ice water when preparing the pie dough. If you work the fats into the dry ingredients too much, the dough will feel too wet before you can add enough water. (And the dough will be dry and thirsty.) Do not overwork the fats in the dry ingredients—you still want those nice crumbles. If it’s too late and you notice the edges of your pie crust are cracking as you roll it out, dip your fingers in ice-cold water and meld the edges back together. Wait a minute, and then try rolling out again.
• Pie dough is falling apart & crumbling when rolling: The dough is likely crumbling because there’s too much fat, and not enough flour and water. Again, this is usually a result of fat being worked in too much, which can easily happen if the ingredients weren’t cold enough. (Refrigerate those dry ingredients before you start!) If it’s too late and the pie dough is crumbling as you roll it out, try adding more water AND more flour. Sprinkle a tiny bit of ice water and flour onto the cracks and crumbled pieces, and gently work it all in with your fingers. Wait a minute, and then try rolling out again.

Flaky Homemade All Butter Pie Crust Success Tips

1. Use a glass pie dish. I prefer using a glass pie dish when I make pie. Why? Glass dishes conduct heat evenly, which allows the bottom of the crust to bake thoroughly. Also, you’ll be able to see when the sides and bottom of the crust have browned.
2. The refrigerator is pie dough’s best friend. Keep everything cold every step of the way: ingredients, the bowl, and the dough before rolling. When taking the pie crust out of the refrigerator to roll out and fill, make sure your pie filling is ready to go. If not, keep the pie crust in the refrigerator until it is.
3. Keep dough cold when rolling out: Warm pie dough is unworkable. If the dough becomes too warm when you’re rolling it out, stop what you’re doing, pick it up as gently as you can, put it on a plate or small baking sheet, and then cover and refrigerate it for 10–20 minutes.
4. Protect the crust edges from burning: Use a pie crust shield to prevent the edges from burning. A shield keeps the crust edge covered, but the center of the pie exposed, protecting the edges. I usually just make a pie shield out of a piece of aluminum foil. Take a piece of aluminum foil and fold it in half. Cut out a half circle. When you open it back up, you’ll have a square of foil with a circle cut out of the center. If you notice the edges of your pie crust are browning before the pie has fully baked, carefully and gently place the foil over the top of the pie, centering the cut-out hole over the pie. Carefully (obviously it’s very hot!) and lightly tuck the sides of the foil around the pie crust edges, then let the pie finish baking.
5. Create a beautiful topping: For designing the top crust, see How to Lattice Pie Crust, How to Braid Pie Crust, or these Pie Crust Designs.