Butter Pie Crust

A great pie begins with a tasty crust. This crust recipe is enough for one 9-inch crust (two batches are needed for a double-crust pie).

How to make Butter Pie Crust

Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes, frozen until solid
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar or white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon ice water, + 1 tablespoon more, as needed

Directions:

1. Put the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add 1/3 of the butter and pulse several times until incorporated. Add the remaining butter and pulse 3 or 4 times, so little chunks of butter are visible.
2. Beat the egg, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon ice water with a fork until well combined.  Add the mixture to the processor while pulsing 2 or 3 times. Dump the dough onto a work surface. Working quickly so the butter doesn’t melt, use the heel of your hand to smear the dough, bit by bit, across the board, sprinkling with additional water where needed. Take care not to over mix. Pat into a flat round, wrap in plastic, and chill until firm, about an hour. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Single-Crust Instructions: Roll floured dough into a 12-inch round between two pieces of waxed paper. Center the crust in a 9-inch pie plate; fold the edges under, pinch together, then crimp as desired. Chill about an hour.
4. To blind-bake a single crust: Press a sheet of aluminum foil onto the crust, draping over the rim of the pie plate. Fill with dried beans or pie weights and place on a baking sheet. Bake until crust is starts to brown, about 25 minutes. Remove beans and foil and continue baking until golden, 5 to 10 minutes. Cool completely.
5. Double-Crust Instructions: Roll 1 disk of floured dough into a 12-inch round between 2 pieces of waxed paper; center in a 9-inch pie plate.  Add the filling, mounding it in the center.  Roll the remaining dough into a 12-inch round; lay it over the filling. Press the edges firmly together to form a seal. Fold the excess under, then pinch to crimp or flute as desired.

Note: Dough can be made up to 2 days in advance. Remove from refrigerator to soften slightly, lightly flour, then roll between two sheets of waxed paper. Return dough to the refrigerator for several minutes to firm if it gets too warm and seems unmanageable.