Barley Free All-Butter Pie Crust
A truly great pie starts with the crust, and this all-butter version delivers that perfect flaky, golden shell that makes every filling taste better. The short ingredient list — flour, salt, sugar, cold butter, and ice water — is exactly what makes it so reliable, with no hidden grains or grain-derived additives to worry about. Many store-bought crusts and pre-made pastry blends sneak in unexpected ingredients, so mixing your own from scratch puts you fully in control of what goes into your baking. The key is keeping that butter ice-cold and working quickly so those pea-sized butter pieces stay intact — they're what create those irresistible flaky layers once the crust hits the oven. Chilling the dough before rolling is a non-negotiable step that relaxes the gluten and makes the whole thing easier to handle without cracking or tearing. Whether you're filling it with fruit, custard, or a savory quiche, this crust is sturdy enough to hold its shape and tender enough to shatter at the first bite of a fork.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes and chilled
- 3–4 tbsp ice water
Instructions
- 1
Whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl until combined.
- 2
Add the chilled butter cubes to the flour mixture and work them in with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized butter pieces still visible throughout.
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