All-Butter Pie Crust

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

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NEW YORK SUN CONTRIBUTOR

Adapted from “The Gourmet Cookbook” (2004).

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted CHOICE butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Special equipment: a pastry or bench scraper

Blend together flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 4 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in food processor) until incorporated. Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn’t hold together, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork mixture, or pastry will be tough.)

Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together with scraper and form into 2 balls, then flatten each into a 5-inch disc. Wrap discs separately in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

Cooks’ note: Dough can be chilled up to 1 day. Makes enough for 1 double-crust 9-inch pie.

NY Sun
NEW YORK SUN CONTRIBUTOR

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.


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