Pie Dough

From The Community Cookbook, the community-vetted cookbook

View revision history and compare versions

Log in to follow updates.

0 followers

Originally proposed by Alice on Feb 18, 2026

No exact Wikimedia image match found for this recipe yet.

Cold butter, minimal mixing, and resting produce a tender crust with distinct flaky layers.

A reliable butter-based dough for sweet and savory pies.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups (315g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (225g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 6 to 8 tbsp ice water

Method

  1. Whisk flour, salt, and sugar together, then cut in cold butter until pea-size pieces remain.
  2. Add ice water a tablespoon at a time and fold just until dough holds when squeezed.
  3. Divide into two discs, wrap well, and chill at least 1 hour.
  4. Roll from the center outward on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8-inch thick.
  5. Fit into the pie plate and chill 15 minutes before filling.

Why These Techniques Work

Browse techniques

Keep the fat cold

Why it works: Cold butter leaves intact pieces that create steam pockets and flake in the oven.

Why this recipe uses it: Pie dough should bake into crisp layers, not a dense cookie-like crust.

Temperature control before and during bake

Why it works: Consistent dough and oven temperature regulates steam release, set rate, and browning kinetics.

Why this recipe uses it: This recipe depends on crisp structure and even doneness rather than uneven browning.

Recipe facts

Cuisine
American
Difficulty
Medium
Total time
45 minutes
Servings
6 servings
Tools
Chef's knife, Cutting board, Measuring cups and spoons, Oven, 9-inch pie dish, Rolling pin

Cook feedback

Tell the community whether this version worked as-is.

Cook outcomes currently contribute up to 0% of confidence.

0 made this with no notes · 0 shared notes

Cook notes

Published cook notes from the community.

Open notes

Register to add a cook note.

No cook notes yet.

Submit a revision

Propose changes without leaving this page.

Open editor

Choose the right path

Use this revision form to improve this exact recipe (clarity, measurements, steps, or techniques).

If your idea is a materially different dish or variant, propose a new recipe instead.

Use one technique per line with this format: Technique | Why it works | Why this recipe uses it

Log in to submit revisions.

Pending revisions

Current in-flight changes for this recipe.

Open list

No pending revisions.