renee Simple, flaky crust with less mess and more success
There is nothing quite like a homemade perfect pie dough. The kind that’s buttery, flaky, and holds up to juicy fruit filling or savory pot pies. But if you’ve ever struggled with cutting in butter by hand or ended up with a tough crust, I’ve got good news: the food processor makes it a whole lot easier.
I used to think you had to do it the old fashion way for it to be “real” but after a few rounds of warm hands and sad crusts, I gave the food processor a shot. And I haven’t looked back since.
Why use a food processor?
It takes all the guess work out of mixing. The blades work quickly to cut cold butter into the flour before it starts to melt, and it only takes a few pulses to bring everything together. That means less handling, less fuss, and more consistent results.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar (optional, but nice for the sweet pies…no need to add it for savory pies)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very cold and cut into cubes
- 1/4 ice water (you may not it all)
Instructions
In your food processor, combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour, salt, and sugar. Pulse a few times to mix.
Scatter cold butter cubes over the flour mixture. Pulse several times until the dough forms.
Add the remaining 1 cup of flour and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
Add cold water. Pulse until the dough comes together when pinched between your fingers. It should still look a bit crumbly in the bowl – don’t wait for it to form a full ball.
Dump the dough onto a clean surface and press it together with your hands (just enough to hold it). Divide it in half, form each half into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic or beeswax wrap, and refridgerate for at least an hour (or up to 2 days).
Tips for Perfect Pie Dough
- Make sure your butter is really cold. I cut mine up and stick it in the freezer for 5 minutes before starting.
- Don’t overmix once the water goes in. Pulse just enough to bring it together.
- You can freeze the wrapped dough for to 3 months. Just thaw it in the fridge overnight before using.
What to Make With It
This crust works beautifully for just about any pie – apple, cherry, pumpkin, pecan. I also use it for hand pies and savory pies.
How to Make Perfect Pie Dough in a Food Processor
Ingredients
Method
- In your food processor, combine 1 1/2 cups of the flour, salt, and sugar. Pulse a few times to mix.
- Scatter cold butter cubes over the flour mixture. Pulse several times until the dough forms.
- Add the remaining 1 cup of flour and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
- Add cold water. Pulse until the dough comes together when pinched between your fingers. It should still look a bit crumbly in the bowl – don’t wait for it to form a full ball.
- Dump the dough onto a clean surface and press it together with your hands (just enough to hold it). Divide it in half, form each half into a disc, wrap tightly in plastic or beeswax wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour (or up to 2 days).
Want a filling that tastes just like summer in jar? Try my homemade canned cherry pie filling. Its sweet, tart, and made to go with this flaky crust.
