Never Fail Butter Pie Crust

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Nothing says fall like pumpkin pie.  But before you make the most delicious, mouthwatering creation of creamy pumpkin filling with aromas of fall spices wafting through the house, you have to make a good pie crust.  This never fail butter pie crust is my favorite all around pie crust.  It's flaky, buttery and full of delicious flavor.  

This has been my go-to pie crust for several years now, but the one I had been making wasn't as good as it could have been and if I am going to go to the trouble to make a pie crust it should be really good.  My husband who really should be a food critic, determined that the crust recipe I had been making was industrial and lacked flakiness.  He was right.  This pie crust is so much better!

So I decided to try my hand at my Aunt Carol's Never Fail Pie Crust again with a few tweaks.  I had abandoned this recipe because it called for shortening which I avoid buying since it is such an unhealthy fat.  I use real butter in place of shortening.  To make the dough easier to handle, I freeze the butter ahead of time and use ice water.  ​The result:  A delicious, flaky pie crust made with butter instead of shortening.

Can you freeze leftover pie dough?

​Yes.  If you have extra dough leftover, simply press it into a ball and store in a zipper seal bag or container in the freezer.  Make sure to label with the date and contents.  When ready to use thaw in the fridge for several hours or even overnight.

Can you make pie crust ahead and refrigerate it?  

Yes, you can make your pie crust ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it.  I often make pie crust the day before I need it and either press it in a ball shape to roll out later or form it in a pie pan, cover with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out and refrigerate overnight.  This is really helpful when entertaining or planning a big holiday meal.  

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Special Supplies:
Rolling pin (affiliate link)
Pastry blender (affiliate link)

If you are really into making pastries, you might consider a marble board (affiliate link) to help keep pastry cold when working with it.  I received one like this for Christmas last year and love it.  Mine is the larger 16 X 20 size so I can roll out large sheets of dough.  

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 1/4 cup cold butter, cubed (2 1/2 sticks)
1 tsp. salt
1 egg, well beaten
5 Tbsp. ice water
1 Tbsp. vinegar

1.  Cut up butter and put it in the freezer for a while before starting.  
2.  Cut butter, flour, and salt into coarse crumbs with a pastry blender.  This takes a little of work since the butter is frozen.  You can also process this step in a food processor.
3.  Combine egg, vinegar, and water.  Pour liquid into flour mixture all at one time.
4.  Blend with a spoon just until all the flour is moistened.  If it is crumbly, just start pressing it together with your hands until it becomes a soft ball of pie dough.  
5.  Roll 1/2 of the dough out on a lightly floured surface.  Fold flattened dough in half and then in half again so that it can be easily lifted into the pie pan.  Lift the dough into the pan and unfold so that it covers the pie pan.
6.  Press the dough into the pan and trim and shape the edges for a one crust pie.  For a two crust pie, pour filling into the pie.  Then cover with top crust, seal and shape the edges.   
7.  To bake without filling, generously prick sides and bottom of pie crust with a fork to prevent the crust from collapsing into the pan.  Or line with foil and pour pie weights or dry beans onto the foil to weigh the crust down and prevent it from shrinking into the pan.  
8.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown at 425 degrees.  If I use pie weights, I bake for 15 minutes and then bake for another 5 to 7 minutes after removing the foil and pie weights.  If making a two crust pie, follow baking instructions in the filling recipe.  

 This recipe makes enough dough for two pie crusts.  

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