All Butter Pie Crust

Cold butter is the secret to a flaky crust. When the dough is rolled out, you should be able to see little pieces of butter suspended throughout. As the butter pie crust bakes, the water in the butter turns to steam, puffing up the crust to create layers and flakes.

Butter is made up of mostly butterfat, plus milk solids and water. When butter is solid and cold, the water is trapped inside. Once the dough hits the oven, the water turns to steam, and that steam helps puff up the pie crust dough mixture to make flaky layers. (This same process is also how croissants and puff pastry get their layers!)

The problem is that butter has a low melting point (around 90°F) and can quickly become very soft or even begin to melt—this happens when it's mixed with warm water, when it's handled too much by warm hands, or when it's very hot in the kitchen.

If a butter dough is warm when it goes into the oven, the butter will liquefy too fast and melt out of the dough before the steam can create the puffy layers.

Keeping the butter cold, using ice water, chilling the dough, and minimal handling are all ways to keep things cool and get the flaky texture we seek!

There are pros and cons to a crust made with all shortening. Shortening-based pie dough is easier to handle because shortening has a higher melting point than butter. It also creates a tender crust. The downside is that shortening crusts won't have the flakiness of butter crusts or the flavor either. I also find that shortening leaves a filmy mouthfeel.

If you would really like to use some shortening in your pie crust dough, I recommend a compromise of half butter and half shortening. This way, the pie crust will still have a buttery flavor and some of the flakiness.

Fortunately, regular, easy-to-find all-purpose flour makes an excellent pie crust. My preference is King Arthur Baking Company brand, because it's a New England company and a high-quality product. Whichever brand you choose, make sure the flour is fresh. (Check that expiration date!)

In their article about the best pie crust, King Arthur Baking shares that flours with lower protein content produce a more tender crust. Although fine pastry flour has a very low protein content, it produces a dough that's trickier to work with, especially for those new to pie making. All-purpose flour is a perfect compromise for a tender dough that's also easy to roll out and shape.

What this process does is to cut the cold butter into tiny pieces while also coating them in flour. To do it, drop small cubes of cold butter into your flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter tool like this one; press it with a slicing motion through the butter to cut it up. You can also use a fork in each hand to pull the butter into pieces, but this may take a little longer.

If the pie dough is sticky, it's likely getting too warm. Pop the dough into the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes to firm it up. If it's still a little sticky, add a light dusting of flour to your work table and rolling pin. When rolling out the dough, pick it up and rotate it a quarter-turn each time, so it won't have the chance to stick.

If your pie dough is crumbly or cracking too much when you roll it out, it needs a little more ice water. Sprinkle some ice water over the surface and try rolling again.

A small amount of butter will leak out of the pie crust dough during baking, which is normal. However, if you see that a lot of butter is melting out of your pie crust, and that it's flat with no definition, it means that the dough was too warm when you put it in the oven. Unfortunately, there's not much you can do at this point; the filling will still be good, but the crust will be thin and tough.

The way we prevent all the butter from melting out of the dough is to have it very cold before it goes into the oven. It's the whole reason I stress keeping butter and dough cold throughout the process. If at any point the dough seems warm, floppy, greasy, or if it tears easily, you can save it by putting it into the fridge to chill.

There are a few reasons why pie crusts shrink during baking, including over-handling the dough, not giving the crust enough support during blind baking, and adding too much water to the dough. Follow the recipe directions to avoid these pitfalls.

There are a few ways to prevent slumping. Make a thicker pie crust edge and pinch it firmly to the edge of the pie plate, so that it stays in place during baking. You can also freeze your pie crust after rolling it and pressing it into the pan, to firm up the butter in the dough even more.

Use pie weights when blind baking a single pie crust shell to hold the crust in place. Line the pie shell with foil or parchment, and fill it with pie weights. (Like ceramic beans or dried beans.) Fill it to the edge to keep it from slumping.

Yes, and this is a great way to save some time the day you want to bake your pie! After fitting the dough into the pie pan and trimming the edges, wrap the crust well in freezer-proof food wrap. Freeze the pie shell for up to three months.

To thaw the crust, move it to the refrigerator 24 hours before you plan to fill and bake the pie.