Active Time

　　10 minutes

　　Total Time

　　10 minutes plus chilling

　　On the internet, pie crust recipes are like opinions: Everyone has one, and not all of them are good.

　　The trick with this all-butter pie crust is that...there’s no trick. It uses ingredients you probably already have on hand, and it comes together in minutes in the food processor. No complex blend of flours or fats, no need to overthink the size of your butter pieces (are they pea-size?!), no fussing. Because it makes enough for two deep-dish crusts, you have plenty to work with (and potentially enough for a few pie scrap cookies, a wonderful bonus). Wrapped tightly with plastic wrap, you can refrigerate this pie dough for a few days, or freeze it for a few months, so it’s ready for last-minute baking adventures that call for a homemade pie crust.

　　Did we say it tastes great? It does. This pastry is flaky and well-seasoned, a buttery asset to apple pie, berry pies, cream pies, or even a savory pie baked in your favorite pie plate.

　　If it’s your first time trying to make really flaky pie crust, don’t panic! Just make sure you use ice-cold butter, cold water, and ideally cool flour too. You don’t want to overwork the dough, so tread (pulse) lightly. And you can still make this perfect pie crust if you don’t have a food processor: Just cut the butter in with a pastry cutter. Don’t dust it with too much flour; a little on the work surface and rolling pin will do. From there, follow your pie recipe—and your heart.

　　

Ingredients

Makes enough for two 9″ single-crust pies

　　2½ cups all-purpose flour

　　1 Tbsp. sugar

　　¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt

　　1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½″ pieces

　　

Step 1

Pulse 2½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and ¾ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a food processor to combine. Add 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½" pieces, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle in 6 Tbsp. ice water, pulsing just until dough comes together in moist clumps. Pulse in more water by tablespoonfuls if needed (dough should still be crumbly).

　　

Step 2

Turn out dough on a surface and gather into a ball. Divide in half, then flatten each portion into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and chill at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.

　　Do Ahead: Dough can be made 1 month ahead. Double wrap disks in plastic and freeze instead of chilling. Thaw overnight in refrigerator before using.

　　Editor’s note: Head this way for a tutorial on blind baking →