Buttery Pie Crust

The picture above shows a delicious Kahlua pecan pie with a buttery pie crust! 

To make this buttery pie crust you will need (If you are making a pie that needs a top crust too, then double the recipe!) :

• 1 & 1/4 cup ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
• 1 stick UNSALTED BUTTER, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 1/2 tsp SUGAR
• 4-5 Tbs ICE WATER

Before you start, make sure that your butter is very cold! I usually cut the butter into cubes and then pop it in into the freezer for a few hours (or overnight)!

Then, I use my food processor and pulse together the flour, salt, and sugar. 

Next, I add the cold butter and pulse another 6-8 times or until the contents start to look like course meal with pea sized butter chunks.

Then, start adding the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing in between. When the mixture begins to clump together you have added enough water. Pinch the dough in between your fingers to see if it holds together. If it is still crumbly and falls apart in your fingers, add a little more water. Be careful not to add too much water though or else the crust will be tough!

Once the dough starts to clump together, dump the dough onto a clean and dry surface.

Then take the heel of your palm and press it down into the dough in order to 'shmoosh' the butter and flatten it into layers. This will create an extra flaky crust! Then carefully shape the dough into a disk.

Wrap the dough in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour (up to 2 days).

Once the dough is chilled, unwrap the dough, and place it on a lightly floured surface. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes in order to soften a bit. Then, roll the dough out into a 12 inch circle. The dough should be about 1/8 inch thick. 

Next, place the dough into a 9 inch pie plate. Carefully press the dough into the corners of the pan so that the dough lines the bottom and sides of the pan. Then tuck the overhanging dough on the edges under itself and pinch with your fingers. 

I didn't pre-bake the crust, but I may try that next time. After baking the pie, the crust had a few small soggy patches across the bottom of the pie and in the corners. This may have been caused by small cracks in the crust due to my lack of practice making pie crusts, rather than the dough actually needing to be pre-baked. If you choose to pre-bake the crust I would recommend making an aluminum foil tent around the crust to prevent it from burning. (As seen in the picture below...kinda...)

Pour in your pie filling and bake according to the directions for the pie! I made a Kahlua pecan pie! Yummm!

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Pie Crust

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/4 cup ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
• 1 stick UNSALTED BUTTER, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 tsp SALT
• 1/2 tsp SUGAR
• 4-5 Tbs ICE WATER

Directions:

1. Before you start, make sure that your butter is very cold! I usually cut the butter into cubes and then pop it in into the freezer for a few hours (or overnight)!
2. Use a food processor and pulse together the flour, salt, and sugar. 
3. Add the cold butter and pulse another 6-8 times or until the contents start to look like course meal with pea sized butter chunks.
4. Start adding the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing in between. When the mixture begins to clump together you have added enough water. Pinch the dough in between your fingers to see if it holds together. If it is still crumbly and falls apart in your fingers, add a little more water. Be careful not to add too much water though or else the crust will be tough!
5. Once the dough starts to clump together, dump the dough onto a clean and dry surface.
6. Take the heel of your palm and press it down into the dough in order to 'shmoosh' the butter and flatten it into layers. This will create an extra flaky crust! Then carefully shape the dough into a disk.
7. Wrap the dough in cling wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour (up to 2 days).
8. Once the dough is chilled, unwrap the dough, and place it on a lightly floured surface. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes in order to soften a bit. Then, roll the dough out into a 12 inch circle. The dough should be about 1/8 inch thick. 
9. Next, place the dough into a 9 inch pie plate. Carefully press the dough into the corners of the pan so that the dough lines the bottom and sides of the pan. Then tuck the overhanging dough on the edges under itself and pinch with your fingers. 
10. I didn't pre-bake the crust, but I may try that next time. After baking the pie, the crust had a few small soggy patches across the bottom of the pie and in the corners. This may have been caused by small cracks in the crust due to my lack of practice making pie crusts, rather than the dough actually needing to be pre-baked. If you choose to pre-bake the crust I would recommend making an aluminum foil tent around the crust to prevent it from burning. (As seen in the picture below...kinda...)
11. Pour in your pie filling and bake according to the directions for the pie!

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I found this buttery pie crust recipe here: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_pie_crust/