Foolproof Pie Crust
Buttery, flakey and nearly impossible to mess up. This pie crust is as easy as 1, 2, 3!

I had been wanting to try my hand at making a better pie crust recipe for years. My old go-to was a basic butter, water, and flour recipe that always came out dry, crumbly, and tough. Then I turned to store-bought alternatives that would shrink, tear, or were just tasteless. Finally, I had enough. I experimented with Vodka, shortening, and several other tips and tricks that were supposed to produce a better pie crust before I finally came up with this tried-and-true recipe.
I refused to buy store-bought ever again and always keep a batch of this crust in my freezer. Whether you make this crust by hand, in a mixer, or with a food processor, it will come out perfect every time. No more shrinking pastry, dry patches, or worry of overworked dough. Just delicious, buttery, flakey crust that will make you pie the star of the show!
Pie Crust Ingredients
- – Flour: All-purpose flour is all you need for this recipe, so keep the bread flour for another bake.
- – Butter: Adds that buttery richness and creates the ultimate flakiness
- – Vinegar: A splash of apple cider vinegar acts as a tenderizer, slowing down gluten formation and keeping your pie crust flaky.
- – Egg: The egg helps to just enrich the dough and prevent the crust from shrinking while it bakes.
- -Salt: Salt adds flavor, simple as that.
Pie Crust Recipe Tips
- – Keep everything as cold as possible: Cold ingredients = crisp, flaky crust. I store everything—the mixer bowl, paddle attachment, even the measuring cup—in my fridge the day before I want to make a batch of pie crust. If you are a bit short on time, you can store everything in the freezer for an hour.
- – Work the dough as little as possible: Pie crust relies on making sure there is as little gluten production as possible. As soon as you add the wet to the dry, combine everything as little as you can.
- – Use High-Quality Butter: This crust is an all-butter pie crust, which means your choice of butter is essential. Try to go for one that is over 80% butterfat; European butter is even better.
Foolproof Pie Crust
Prep Time: 1 hour15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 Minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 2 Crusts for a 9 inch pie pan
Equipment
Mixing Bowl
Fork or Pastry Cutter
Stand or Hand Mixer
Plastic Wrap
Parchment Paper
Ingredients
2 ½ cups (300g) All-Purpose Flour, 1 cup (230g) Butter, cold
1 teaspoon (6g) Salt
1 beaten Egg, cold
½ cup (110g) Ice Water
1 ½ (10g) teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt
2. Using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingertips, cut the cold butter into the flour mixture until pebble-sized chunks of butter remain.
3. Add the beaten egg and vinegar to the ice water
4. Using the paddle attachment of your mixer on the slowest speed available, slowly add the water mixture until the flour mixture just starts to come together. You can also just mix with a spatula or spoon as you slowly add the water mixture if you don’t have a stand mixer available.
5. Dump the dough onto parchment paper and press to make a rough rectangle
6. Divide the dough in hand and stack the 2 halves on top of each other. Press down until 1 inch thick.
7. Repeat step 6 two more times. Work quickly to not overwork the dough or melt the butter.
8. Divide the dough into 2 even-sized chunks and wrap in plastic wrap.
9. Chill in fridge for a minimum of 1 hour
10. Use for whatever application you desire!