Classic Pastry Crust

A well-made butter crust is one of my favorite things. It’s just perfect with some lightly sweetened summer fruit or a decadent pecan filling. You can always add some spices like cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg to lend a holiday feeling or you can remove the sugar and add 1/4 teaspoon more of salt for a savory pie crust! Adding an egg yolk will harden the crust making it more durable but the tradeoff is the crispiness.

Print

Classic Pastry Crust

My go to recipe of a classic flakey butter crust.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, French

Keyword pastry crust

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 1 pie crust

Calories 480 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups pastry flour plus more for rolling
• 2 tbs plus 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 8 tbs unsalted butter 1 stick frozen
• 3-4 tbs ice water
• 1 egg for the egg wash

Instructions

1. At least 30 minutes in advance, make the pastry crust.
2. Mix the 1 1/4 cups pastry flour, the sugar, and salt in a bowl.
3. Grate the butter into the flour mixture. As you go toss the flour and butter so large clumps don't form.
4. Add 4 tbs of the ice water (you can add more later if need be) and work the dough together for just a few moments more until it is smooth and cohesive.
5. Add another 1/2 to 1 tbs ice water if it's too dry or crumbly.
6. transfer dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and knead 2-3 times just to help it come together a bit. Gently flatten into a one inch-thick disk, and cover in plastic wrap.
7. Place in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes to an hour.
8. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg.
9. Set it aside in the fridge until ready to use.
10. Roll our pie crust to about 1/4 of an inch and transfer to pie pan or baking sheet if making a galette. Bake time will depend on form and filling.

Nutrition Facts

Classic Pastry Crust

Amount Per Serving

Calories 480

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.