Because baking season has officially begun I’m going to share with you exactly how to make the easiest and most perfect pie dough ever. This recipe will take away the intimidation of making pie dough from scratch and I promise you it’s so easy that you’ll never buy the prepackaged stuff again.
While there exists many tips to help create an amazing pie, my recipe for making pie dough is neither time consuming nor do you need to master any tricks. I’ve learned over the years to make this quick and simple dough and it’s perfect for just about all of my pies, tarts and scones. You’ll end up with a great crust every single time, pinky promise!
The Only Pie Dough Recipe You’ll Ever Need
Homemade pie dough doesn’t have to be intimidating especially when you use a food processor. In fact, it’s one of my favorite kitchen shortcuts. This buttery, flaky dough comes together in minutes and works perfectly for everything from crostatas to classic pies. It’s the same dough I use for my Honeycrisp Apple Crostata, and it never fails me.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 2–4 tablespoons ice water
How to Make It (the Easy Way)
1. Combine the dry ingredients.
Add flour, salt, and sugar to the bowl of your food processor. Scatter the cold, cubed butter over the flour and pulse about 8–10 times until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-sized bits of butter remaining.
3. Add the ice water.
With the processor running, drizzle in the ice water one tablespoon at a time. Stop as soon as the dough starts to clump together in a ball. It should hold when pressed but not feel wet or sticky.
4. Chill the dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, shape it into a disk, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. This rest time is key for flakiness.
Why This Dough Works
Using a food processor makes pie dough almost foolproof. The quick pulses cut the butter into the flour without melting it, and the minimal handling keeps the texture tender and flaky. When baked, the dough turns golden, crisp, and buttery. You end with the perfect base for any pie, tart, or crostata.
Once you make it this way, you’ll never go back to store-bought crust again
