Description
Ruth’s classic pie crust recipe delivers flaky, buttery perfection passed down through generations. Bakers seeking authentic homemade pastry will appreciate this simple, reliable method for creating delicious pie crusts.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 ½ cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (225 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar (optional, for sweet pies)
- ¼–½ cup (60–120 ml) ice water
Instructions
- Preparation: Sift flour, salt, and sugar into a large mixing bowl, creating a uniform dry base for the pastry.
- Butter Integration: Dice cold butter into small cubes and sprinkle across the flour mixture, then swiftly blend using a pastry cutter or fingertips until the texture resembles coarse, uneven crumbs with tiny butter pockets.
- Liquid Binding: Drizzle ice-cold water incrementally, gently folding with a fork until the dough begins to loosely consolidate without becoming overly wet or sticky.
- Dough Formation: Transfer the fragile mixture onto a lightly floured surface, carefully gathering and pressing together with minimal manipulation to prevent tough gluten development, then form a compact disk.
- Chilling Phase: Encase the dough disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes, allowing butter to solidify and gluten to relax, which ensures a tender, flaky crust.
- Rolling Technique: Remove chilled dough, place on a floured surface, and roll out to desired thickness and shape, maintaining a light, gentle touch throughout the process.
Notes
- Keep Butter Ice-Cold: Maintain butter’s chilled temperature to ensure flaky, tender pie crust texture by using refrigerated butter and working quickly during preparation.
- Minimal Dough Handling: Avoid excessive kneading to prevent gluten development, which can make the crust tough and dense; gentle mixing creates a more delicate pastry.
- Proper Resting Time: Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes to allow butter to solidify and gluten to relax, resulting in a more manageable and flakier crust.
- Consistent Mixing Technique: Use a pastry blender or fingertips to create breadcrumb-like texture, ensuring even butter distribution and optimal crust structure.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2
- Calories: 1120
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 1000 mg
- Fat: 80 g
- Saturated Fat: 51 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 29 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 105 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 210 mg