We’ve talked about pie crust before, you and I.
I thought today might be a good day for a little refresher. The breeze outside is mighty fine, the sun seems pretty friendly, I’ve got chilled butter in the fridge, and… tomorrow I want to show you how to make a double crusted berry pie… so let’s nail this pie crust first.
Can we do this? Of course we can. I’ll talk you through it and leave hella directions for you to print out. Yes, hella. High five.
Any respectable pie crust has butter. Lots of butter. Lots of cold cold cold butter.
I’ve cut up our two sticks of cold butter into cold cubes and tossed them with the dry ingredients.
Next… dump the whole dang thing on the tabletop. The whole dang thing. Don’t be scared. We’re in this together.
Bust out that rolling pin. I use the rolling pin to flatten out the cold butter cubes and incorporate them into the dry ingredients. Some people use their fingers. Some people use a pastry cutter. Other people use a food processor. Sure… but that’s not what we’re talking about here.
Roll the loose dry ingredients and the cold butter, using your hands or a bench knife to pile up the mixture and roll it out again. The goal here is to make flattened sheets of cold butter within the flour mixture.
Like this! I’ve put it all back in the bowl. I used my hands to do this. I also made a little well in the center of the butter and flour mixture. That’s where I’m going to pour in the cold buttermilk. Mmmm.
Believe it or not this is the dough after I’ve added the cold buttermilk. But it’s so shaggy!? Yes… yes it is. It’ll all come together. It just needs a good pressing together and an hour long rest in the refrigerator.
I’ve divided the dough into two rough balls.
Wrap the balls in waxed paper and place in the fridge for at least an hour. Resting the dough like this is super important. It helps the butter re-chill which is important when it comes to rolling out and baking the dough aaand the rest helps the liquid incorporate properly into the dough.
Chilled dough disk on a well floured surface just before the rolling out process. I’ll sprinkle flour on top too before I attack this thing with the rolling pin.
Rolled out.
Panned up and trimmed.
This particular pie crust was for an Apple Pie.
Once the top crust is rolled out and placed over the filling, trim the excess dough so that there’s about 1/2 to 1-inch of extra crust.
Pinch the extra dough together with your fingers or with the tines of a fork. Make a pretty pattern.
Not so bad… right? Tomorrow we throw berries in the mix. Prepare.
Buttermilk Pie Crust
makes a double crusted 9-inch pie crust
2 sticks (8 ounces) cold unsalted butter
2 1/2 (12 ounces) cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (5 to 6 ounces) buttermilk
1. Cut the butter into 1-inch pieces and place in the freezer to chill for 15 minutes. Measure out the buttermilk and store in the refrigerator to keep it cold (you could even put it in the freezer for a few minutes too).
2. Sift together the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Take the cold butter from the freezer and toss it with the flour mixture.
3. Dump the cold butter cubes and flour mixture onto a large work area for rolling. With a rolling pin, roll the mixture, flattening the butter cubes with the flour into long, thin, floured butter sheets. Work quickly to ensure that the butter stays cold. Below is what the rolled butter and flour look like after I’
ve gathered them together on the work surface a bit.
4. Place the flour and flattened butter back in the large bowl and chill for 10 minutes. When the butter is cold, remove the bowl from the refrigerator, make a small well in the center of the flour and butter mixture. Add the cold buttermilk to the bowl all at once. Begin to bring the dough together with one hand ( keep the other hand free to answer the phone). Moisten all of the flour with the milk, using your hand to break up large clumps of milk and flour. The dough will be rather shaggy, but you can add another tablespoon of buttermilk, if you see that all your flour isn’t moistened. Form the dough into two disks. The disks will be rough, and hard to shape together, but once they rest in the fridge for an hour, they’
ll be easier to roll out.
5. Chill the dough for at least an hour in the refrigerator. At this point, the dough will keep in the fridge for up to three days, or in the freezer for up to three weeks. For freezing, roll the dough out into sheets and wrap them in plastic film.
6. Roll out the top crust large enough to cut a 12-inch circle.
Transfer the pie filling mixture to the pie shell. Moisten the border of the bottom crust by brushing it lightly with water and place the top crust over the filling. Trim the overhang of the top crust so that there is only 1/2-inch of overhand. Tuck the overhand under the bottom crust boarder and press down all around to seal it. Crimp the border using a fork or your fingers and make about 5 evenly spaced 2-inch slashes starting about 1 inch from the center of the pie and radiating toward the edge. Cover the pie loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 1 hour before baking. This will chill and relax the pastry, preventing shrinking.
{ 83 comments… read them below or add one }
I am loving the no-breadcrumb-making appeal of this! Have been debating playing with a new crust recipe recently (as in my laziness I’ve been using *gasp* Jusrol ready pastry – oh the shame!) This looks wonderful and I bet the flat butter makes awesome buttery pockets, mmm.. apples here I come!
Thank you so much for posting it. Because pie crust is not really a friend of mine. Maybe its time to start it over.
You gave me hope! Thanks a lot.
love the idea of adding buttermilk instead of water to make the crust!
Oh god, you have to be killing me…
Why do you always come up with such great stuff? And so easy for us to remake as well?
It’s my hon’s birthday this weekend and I already baked like 5 things yesterday and have 3 more on the list for today. You cannot just come up with a perfect pie recipe.
Well. I might just have to add one more thing to the baking list and pie would just be too perfect for the weather right now…
Stop being so great, please!
This is great indeed, now, at long last, I understand a little bit more about pie crust, besides I love to use my rolling pin!
Your pie crust sounds amazing. Butter, butter, butter. Yummy :D
Wei-Wei
Wow! Thank you for posting this up. I’ve never really baked a real pie before and I’m actually thinking of baking it in these coming days. Thank you for your guidance and tips! :) I appreciate it a lot.
I always make all my short crust pastry in the magi-mix. But looking at how you have done it. Your pastry must be delicious and light because it hasn’t really been over-worked and there are some nice big pockets of butter. I love that you make everything sound so accessible and just – you know…EASY! Thank you.
I just made pie crust this morning. You are a mind-reader, aren’t you? But my recipe uses water. Maybe buttermilk IS the key to fluffy flaky crust. And I used your tip on grating the cold butter. Can?
You know why I avoid making pies like the plague. Pie Crust.Will give this a try. :) Thank you.. You come up with the best stuff btw.. & I could live on butter if I had to.
how did you know joy?! how did you know that just 2 days ago i was asking my mother and sisters and neighbors and strangers at the laundromat how to make a pie crust?!?! we have an unspoken connection, you and i… ;) thanks a million for the rundown. ;)
Wow. This is different. Now, I already make pie crust and I don’t see why people get so afraid of it, but now I think I want to try your method because the whole buttermilk thing intrigues me. I love buttermilk. You’re too cool.
I still can’t get my pie crust as perfect as my grandmothers. I’m convinced it was the lard she used.
Oh, I’m so excited, but I’m so nervous! Blueberry pie here I come!
Inspired by last night’s Top Chef quick fire? :)
nope.. just a coincidence! i haven’t seen top chef yet.
I’ve never made homemade pie crust. It just always seemed like so much work. I can’t wait to try this recipe. I’m inspired.
hi joy, is the texture of this pie crust similar to your no-roll one? i can’t imagine making pie crust in summer! i’m always afraid of the butter melting too quickly.
You make it sound so easy!
Btw, do you chill your flour in the freezer ahead of time? I read the other day that one blogger did this. (smitten I think?).
Gonna try this…scared…but gonna try….sometime…soon.
TY!
Jen-
no… i didn’t chill my flour. i really don’t think you need to.
This pie crust looks perfect. I want a slice of pie now!
I have the recipe printed and I am gonna try I have always been a failure when it comes to pie crust….thanks for sharing this great tutorial..
you used the frissage technique! but with a rolling pin! genius.
yea… totally.. um… i knew that.
Joy~~ I LOVE pie crust! In our family it is usually PIE for birthdays.. either Dutch apple.. or French Silk Pie.. and it is always FUN to have left over pie crust to roll our and turn into itty bitty cinnamon rolls.. that we call..pie crust cookies!! I plan to make your pie crust recipe SOON.. oh yum! Coffee is on.. come on over!
i heart berry pie! i’ve never made a pie crust wth buttermilk in it before–yum!
i have tried pie crust a few times and it never seems to work for me… i will have to follow your “hella” directions next time :)
This looks like a wonderful method! Buttermilk, eh? Sounds scrumptious.
Sometimes my pie crusts turn out; sometimes they’re a soggy, yet chewy wreck. As in it will be a long time before I try another pie because I just ruined several cups of the cherries my dad picked and pitted and hauled to Minnesota for me even though my mom wanted to horde them in the freezer for cherry pie at Christmas.
But your process makes more sense to me than Betty Crocker’s, and I’m eager to try it out!
Joy, you know things. I would trust your pie crust with my live savings of berries any summer.
I have to say, that I’ve used my auntie’s “no fail” pie crust recipe for a long time and it’s always worked out great! But Joy….this recipe…..looks absolutely scrumptious! I will definitely try this!!! YUM!!!
I suffer from pie crust anxiety, too. Thank you for a really interesting recipe (buttermilk is a new ingredient for me) and especially for the wonderful photos to help me gauge what I’m working with. I’ll try it!
Joy, I love your blog posts. Slightly humorous and always so casual.I make pie crust all the time, I can’t bring myself to buy store-bought.
O.M.G
How much do I looooove those 3 circles cut into the top of your pie! Serious mod-factor!
I have fond memories of my mother taking the pie crust scraps, sprinkling them with cinnamon sugar and baking them for me. It was such a yummy treat. Sometimes she would put a little dab of jam on them and when they came out of the over, a dusting of powdered sugar. Ahhh, childhood memories.
Yummy! And so fitting, as the Top Chefs had to make pie last night and none looked as good as this!
Joy, you must’ve been reading my mind. I made two pies this weekend (beef pot pie and rhubarb) and the crust was…meh–pre-cook melty and post cook crumbly and dry–I blame it on the heat and lack of counter space. At last, though, you posted a crust that just might work. Thanks!!
Hmmm….I’ve never had good luck with pie crusts. I find it very intersting that you’ve used buttermilk instead of the usual ice water. I may also have a rolling problem. Aren’t you supposed to only roll from the center out? That has always confused me a little bit.
I use very similar methods although I use vodka as my secret ingredient – the ethanol chemical bonds in the alcohol (which is all burned off by cooking, of course) make it perfectly flaky every time!
awe, man – “hella” is such a cali gem. love it. can’t wait for the berries manana…
A perfectly timed Summer post, especially with last night’s “Top Chef” pie disaster episode . . .
I love to make pie. My grandmother was an amazing pie creator and she shared her skills and wisdom with me. The issue, she uses the old school methods (shortening or lard) and while they make a nice flakey crust there is just something fascinating about using butter…and now buttermilk! Awesome! I am going to have to part from tradition and give this pie crust a whirl.
Oh my goodness!!! I may have to try this soon. My husband is REALLY dying for a lemon meringue pie, since he just got me a large pastry board (I have very little counter space). My mom’s crust recipe always used chilled water and vegetable oil…Her crust is delicious, but you posting this has made me want to take on a new crust challenge. Thank you for your wonderful ideas!
It seems so easy…
I think I’m going to try, and I’ll tell you how it went!
Love,
Lia.
This pie crust recipe ROCKS out LOUD!!! I love how you use the rolling pin to get those pieces of butter flat AND I love the fact that this recipe uses BUTTERMILK to bind everything together! Can’t wait to see tomorrow’s recipe for the filling of this pie crust magic. :-)
I’ve never ever seen a pie crust recipe using buttemilk. Since every pie crust I’ve made comes out like a brick, I will definitely try this. You’re such a clever girl!
I prefer my grandmas pie crust which is simply oil, milk, flour and salt. Its so fool proof, never shrinks, and really takes no skill at all! Not to mention its flakey, crispy and salty. But there are some recipes that I think require the classic pie crust using butter. Bookmarking this!
I appreciate the step-by-step tutorial, especially since I always think my dough is too shaggy. Now I know it’s fine!
Definitely going to try this…
I do wonder…do you do anything special with your pie dough scraps?
looks good Joy! i gotta have some shortening in my dough though :)
Good recipie!
Its never been the making of the pie crust I can’t do, its the rolling. Rolling without getting it to stick to the pin or the counter (yes even with TONS of flour), rolling it into a almost perfect circle, and rolling it fast enough so it stays cold.
Love this post!! You’re hilarious! Lovely pie, too — I’ll look forward to the berries…
I’ve never seen a pie crust with buttermilk. Will definitely give it a go! I’m thinking Strawberry Rhubarb.
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