It’s no secret I’m a Claire Saffitz fan (who isn’t). Her book, Dessert Person, is a personal favorite and one I return to time and time again.
There are a few foundational recipes that I use for many different recipes. This Claire Saffitz’s All Butter Pie Crust (as I lovingly like to call it) is one that’s part of my regular baking life. I use it regularly for chicken pot pies, but having one in the freezer is also great for impromptu snacks.
This all butter pie crust, albeit easy, demands a few tricks for optimum results. Let’s go over them real quick.
Claire Saffitz’s All-Butter Pie Crust
One of the major keys to a successful pie crust that’s both tender and flaky is not overworking the dough. The other one is cold butter.
You want to incorporate the ingredients well but in such a way that the butter remains chilled and not a lot of gluten is developed. When flour gets mixed with a liquid – in this case, water – the proteins present in flour combine and form gluten.
If you handle the dough and knead it too much, gluten will develop. That’s exactly what you want to happen when you’re making bread, for example. You want your bread to have structure and be chewy.
When making more delicate pastries, like a pie dough that needs to be flaky, you want the opposite of that: a pie crust that’s been worked too much will be tough and shrink when baked.
So keep this in mind when making this all-butter pie crust: cold butter and no kneading.
You can use a food processor when making the dough, but I usually prefer making it by hand. In a lot of ways, it’s important when baking to use your hands so you really understand the way a dough works.
When you make it by hand as opposed to a food processor, you can more easily tell if the dough needs more water or if the butter pieces have been properly incorporated.
Having said that, using a food processor is perfectly acceptable.
A few details
Claire’s recipes are usually extremely detailed. Just take a look at the directions and you’ll see what I mean. Don’t be alarmed by all the instructions.
She walks the reader through the recipe, making sure that every point is covered. It’s not complicated, just precise – as baking demands to be.
You can use a bench knife to break up the clumps and pieces of butter, but the technique I always seem to favor is using my fingertips. That’s good for a couple reasons: no need for extra tools and no extra dishes to wash!
The process of breaking down the butter into small pieces helps bring the dough together without working it excessively and it increases tenderness.
It also helps prevent gluten development: coating the butter in flour makes it more difficult for the flour to absorb water. The fat from the butter acts like a “raincoat”, protecting it from gluten to be developed.
Quickly work with your fingertips until the mixture is crumbly. Don’t be too thorough: the mixture will look uneven, with big chunks of butter in among smaller ones. That’s perfectly fine and expected.
You want to add enough water just until the dough holds itself together. It’ll resemble a shaggy mixture. Immediately after that step, the dough is supposed to chill in the fridge for a couple hours.
That gives time for the dough to relax and hydrate, and for the butter to harden.
That’s an important step because it helps the crust keep its structure as it bakes and it makes it easier to roll out the dough.
Folding the dough into thirds like a letter is what creates more flaky layers in the final product. A very important step!
A well-made crust is the key to successful pie
Every phenomenal pie starts with a phenomenal crust. Use this recipe for Claire’s Caramelized Honey Pumpkin Pie or your favorite pie recipe for phenomenal results.
Despite making this pastry from scratch is more hands-on than other versions – or getting it at the store – it yields a wonderful flaky pastry and you’ll likely make it again and again.
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Claire Saffitz’s All Butter Pie Crust
1
9-inch pie crust25
minutes40
minutesIngredients
1 stick plus 2 tbsp (5 oz / 142g) unsalted butter, chilled
1 1⁄2 cups (200g) all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out
1 tbsp (13g) granulated sugar
3⁄4 tsp kosher salt
Directions
Prepare the ice water and slice half of the butter: Fill a cup with ice water and keep it in the fridge while you start the dough. Slice half of the butter (5 tablespoons / 2.5 oz / 71g) into thin ⅛-inch pieces (3 mm) — these will be your butter squares — and pop them back into the refrigerator.
Mix the dry ingredients: Meanwhile, add the flour, sugar, and salt to a large bowl. Mix to combine.
Work the butter into the dry ingredients: Cut the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter into 1⁄2-inch (1.3 cm) cubes and toss in the flour mixture to coat. Using your fingertips, press the butter into the flour — quickly but firmly — flattening and breaking the pieces up until they are about pea-sized.
Take the butter slices out of the fridge and add them to the flour mixture. Toss to coat, then press each piece between your thumbs and fingertips to flatten it. If some pieces break apart, that’s completely fine. Once you’ve worked in all the butter, the mixture should look very coarse, with a mix of larger visible bits and much smaller ones.
Bring the dough together: Slowly drizzle in about 5 tablespoons of the ice water, tossing the mixture continuously with a fork as you go. Work quickly here—the goal is to keep everything cold—so mix just enough to help the dough start coming together.
Use your hands to toss the mixture a few times until it starts to look shaggy. Then, knead it a few times in the bowl—just enough to bring it together. At this stage, the dough will appear very clumpy and dry; that’s exactly how it should look.
Line a work surface with a sheet of plastic wrap and move any large clumps of dough onto it. Toss the remaining dough with a fork again, adding more ice water gradually, about 1 teaspoon at a time, until only a few dry spots remain. Use your hands to knead it into a shaggy dough, then transfer these last bits onto the plastic wrap as well.
Wrap and chill the dough: Pat the dough into a rectangle about ¾ inch (1.9 cm) thick. Wrap it in the plastic, pressing down with the heel of your hand to flatten it more, pushing it into the corners of the wrap.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. At this point, the dough is ready to use, but if you want an extra flaky crust, continue on to the next step.
Roll out and fold the dough: Let the dough rest on the counter for about 5 minutes so it softens slightly. Unwrap it and set it on a lightly floured surface. Using your rolling pin, beat the dough across the surface to make it more pliable.
Sprinkle flour on both the top and bottom of the dough, then roll it out into a rectangle roughly three times as long as it is wide, about ¼ to ½ inch (6 mm–1.3 cm) thick, dusting with more flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Fold the dough into thirds, like a letter: this layering is what creates extra buttery, flaky layers. Wrap it tightly in plastic and refrigerate again to allow the dough to relax and hydrate, for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days. At this point, it’s ready to use.
If your recipe calls for a lined pie plate, a parbaked crust, or a fully baked crust, follow the specific instructions below.
Preheat the oven: Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F (220°C).
Line a 9-inch pie plate: Let the pie dough rest at room temperature for about 5 minutes to soften slightly. Use a rolling pin to beat it across the surface to make it more pliable.
Sprinkle flour on both the top and bottom of the dough, then roll it out into a 13-inch (33 cm) round, about 1⁄8 inch (3 mm) thick, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Roll the pastry onto the rolling pin for easy transfer.
Unroll the dough over the pie plate, allowing it to gently drape down the sides. Press the pastry firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the plate, being careful not to stretch it.
Use scissors or a sharp knife to trim the edges of the pastry, leaving roughly a ½-inch (1.3 cm) overhang.
Fold the overhang underneath itself all the way around, creating a double-thick lip that rests neatly along the rim of the pie plate.
Press firmly around the rim to seal the crust, then crimp it all the way around. To do this, use the thumb of one hand and the thumb and forefinger of the other. For a simpler method, you can also use the tines of a fork to make marks along the edge.
Bake the weighted crust: Place the lined pie plate in the freezer until the dough is very firm, about 10–15 minutes. Use a fork to prick the bottom of the pastry all over—this will prevent it from puffing up during baking. Line the inside of the pie plate with a piece of foil or parchment paper large enough so that it fully covers the edges of the crust.
Fill the pie plate with pie weights, dried beans, or rice, and set it on a prepared baking sheet. Bake in the center of the oven until the edges of the crust begin to turn golden when you peek under the foil, about 25–30 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and carefully lift out the foil and weights. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C).
To par- or fully bake the crust: For a par-baked crust, return the pan to the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown all over, about 20–25 minutes. For a fully baked crust, continue baking for another 10–15 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and set it aside to cool. It’s now ready to use.
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