Homemade Pie Dough

Homemade pie dough is definitely a recipe that every home baker needs to have in their back pocket!

Now don’t get me wrong, you can get some great pre-made options from the store – I’m sure most of us have at least watched a relative bake a pie in one of those pre-formed shells you get from the freezer section. My problem with those is that you have to pray you grabbed one that’s fully intact and doesn’t have any hidden breaks. More recently you can buy pre-made dough in the cookie dough and biscuit section. That’s a great last minute option, but it just doesn’t compare to homemade.

While I love the option to grab a pre-made dough at the store, some times the flavor, while good, can be very over powering. For example, I used the Pillsbury dough once when making my Poptarts and the flavor of the dough just completely over powered the blueberry flavor. I’ve also found that a home made dough, if done properly, can be MUCH flakier than anything you can buy from the store.

Now I know pie crust can seem intimidating at first, but once you make it a few times you’ll be a pro! To hopefully make things go a bit smoother for you, I’ve taken pictures of each step of the process so you know what you’re looking for.

What you’ll need:
– 8 ounces cold butter, diced
– 2 1/2 cups flour (300g)
– 9 – 10 Tablespoons ice water
– 1 teaspoon salt

What you’ll do:
– Add your flour and salt to a large bowl. Add in your diced butter and gently toss so that your butter is coated in flour and not sticking together.

– Using a dough cutter, 2 knives, or just your hands, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it is crumbly.

– Pour about 4 Tablespoons of water over your butter mixture and toss with a fork. Slowly add more water, a Tablespoon at a time, to the drier parts and continue to mix with a fork. Continue this until you’ve run out of water or your dough has begun to clump together in chunks.

– Divide this mixture into 2 portions and dump 1 half onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Use your hands to form your dough into a disc and wrap with the plastic wrap. Repeat this with the other half of your dough. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

A few notes:
– I have a video on Instagram if you’d like to watch this process!
– Keep your butter cold! I typically cut it up, put it back in the fridge while measuring out my other ingredients, and then pull it back out right when I’m ready to use it.
– If at any point you need to take a second to tend to something else, place your dough in the fridge to keep your butter cold.
– I don’t have an ice machine and I don’t typically keep ice in my freezer, so I just put my already cold water in the freezer while I’m working on the the steps before I need the water. If you do have ice, you can just add some to your water to make it extra cold and then remeasure before using. This essentially helps with keeping the butter cold.
– When wrapping up your dough, I shape it into a disc because it greatly helps out with rolling out the dough later on.
– This recipe makes 2 pie crusts, or the bottom and top of 1 pie.
– You can make your dough a week or so before using to help with prepping ahead of time. You can also store it in the freezer for a couple months, just make sure that it is well wrapped or in a freezer bag.
– I’ll use this recipe as a base for any pie dough. Depending on what I’m making, I may add some sugar and vanilla for a sweeter dough, or even some herbs and spices for something savory. Don’t be afraid to play around with it!