This is our basic pie crust recipe. No frills. No secret tricks. Just age-old technique and a swift hand. The key here is to keep the butter as cold as possible throughout the process. The colder the butter, the flakier the crust.
Ingredients:
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1¼ sticks), chilled and cut into small cubes
- 2-4 tablespoons ice water, as needed
Preparation
- In a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt.
- Add butter and pulse until the mixture forms chickpea-size pieces. If working without a food processor, you can also cut into the butter with a pastry cutter or a pair of knives.
- Add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until the dough just comes together. It should be smooth and easy to manipulate. If the dough is too dry to work with, add additional ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Avoid adding too much water, as it makes the crust tough.
- Lightly flour a work surface. Shape the dough into a ball, and then flatten it into a disk. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.