All Butter Pie Crust

All Butter Pie Crust - a few simple ingredients and no need for a rolling pin to make this flaky, buttery homemade pie crust.

Do you ever have a baking task you don't enjoy?  For some it's working with yeast, for some it's frying, for me it's rolling out dough.  I don't know why, it is just one of my least favorite parts of baking.  And if I have to chill the dough on top of everything else, forget it!

Homemade Pie Crust Recipe

Those are a few of the reasons I love this homemade pie crust recipe so much: no chilling and no rolling.  Even better- you only need a few, standard ingredients to make this all butter pie crust.  It's super easy and results in a flaky, buttery, delicious crust.

All Butter Pie Crust Recipe

For this all butter pie crust recipe you will need:

• All-Purpose Flour
• A Pinch of Salt
• Quality Butter
• Heavy Whipping Cream

You can read about why I stock heavy whipping cream instead of regular in this post about making Homemade Whipped Cream.

I prefer a pie crust recipe with butter over one with shortening or lard.  Don't @ me.  I grew up with shortening crusts and prefer the taste of an all-butter pie crust now. 

I guess I should really say that I grew up not eating pie crust, and now I enjoy eating it.  My dad and I had a pretty sweet deal where I would only eat the filling and he got my extra crust.     

How to Make a Homemade Pie Crust

• Add the all-purpose flour to a large bowl.
• Cube the butter into small pieces (about the size of your fingertip).
• Use your hands to combine the butter and flour into course crumbs.  Work quickly and take care not to make a paste with the butter, nor allow the butter to melt.
• Add the heavy cream and use your hands to combine all of the ingredients.  Be sure to scoop down to the bottom to fully incorporate.  The crumbs will start to resemble dough (damp and hold together when pinched), but be careful not to overwork it.  
• Once the dough is loosely held together, transfer it to a pie plate.  Use your fingers to push the dough into the dish, spreading from the center.  

Note: I like to use a pastry cutter with certain recipes, like these Easy Shortbread Cookies, but I prefer to only use my hands when making this all butter pie crust recipe.

Be careful not to allow too much dough to stay in the bottom rim, where the dish begins to curve.  You want an even thickness throughout- with a little extra at the very top to make your design.  Be sure to also look for any thin spots on the bottom of the dish.    

How to Crimp Pie Crust

There are tons of ways to decorate a pie crust: rope, braid, intricate cut out pieces, hex marks with a fork, etc.  I prefer the classic scalloped crimp method.  You want to squeeze the extra dough around your index finger with the thumb and index finger of your other hand.  How rounded the edges are is up to you, sometimes I make it more of a "V" shape and others more "U" shaped.

Does pie crust need to be pre-baked?

When you pre-bake a pie crust (partially or completely) it is called "blind baking."  Blind baking a pie crust prevents soggy pie bottoms by partially baking the crust before the liquid filling is added. 

There's only certain instances when you will need to blind bake your crust, and the recipe you're using should always tell you.  For example: if you need a "cooked and cooled" crust before adding the filling. 

Blind baking is common with custard pies (when the moisture in the filling can make the crust soggy before it has time to actually bake) and with pies that don't require any additional baking (like a chocolate pudding pie). 

This easy pie crust is the only one I use when making my famous Homemade Pecan Pie.  (It does not need to be blind baked for that recipe.)

Find More Recipes

This recipe is part of my Traditional Thanksgiving Menu series. Check it out!