No-Stress Pie Dough

No-Stress Pie Dough

Stella Parks's foolproof flaky crust — pinch the butter, pour exactly half a cup of water, fold like a book. No guesswork, no fraisage, no fear.

Active20 min

Chill2 hr+

YieldTwo 9-inch crusts

CoursePastry / Pie base

Ingredients

• 8 oz (225 g) all-purpose flour — about 1¾ cups + 1 tablespoon, plus more for dusting (Parks prefers Gold Medal bleached for tenderness)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt (preferably Diamond Crystal)
• 8 oz (225 g) unsalted butter, very cold, cut into ½-inch cubes
• ½ cup (120 g) very cold water

Instructions

Mix and Pinch

1. Gather everything before your hands get messy: medium bowl, fine-mesh strainer or sifter, whisk, rubber spatula, rolling pin, 9-inch pie pan (glass is ideal), and a bench scraper. A ruler and kitchen shears help too.
2. Sift the flour into a medium bowl. Whisk in the sugar and salt, then add the butter cubes. Toss to coat, separating any stuck cubes with your fingers.
3. Pinch each butter cube flat to about ¼ inch thick. Don't work the butter in any further — flat shards are the goal.
4. Stir in the cold water with a rubber spatula. Press and knead just until a shaggy ball forms.

Roll, Fold, and Divide

1. Dump the dough onto a heavily floured surface, sprinkle the top with more flour, and roll into a roughly 10×15-inch rectangle, with the long side facing you. Add flour as needed to prevent sticking. (If the butter ever turns melty, slide the dough onto a baking sheet and chill 15 minutes.)
2. Slide a bench scraper under the dough to loosen it. Fold each 10-inch side toward the middle so the edges meet, then close the packet like a book. Fold the book in half top-to-bottom.
3. Slice the dough horizontally into two roughly equal rectangles. (If your kitchen is warmer than 72°F, refrigerate 15–20 minutes before continuing.) Wrap one half tightly in plastic and refrigerate while you work on the other — or freeze it for later.

Roll and Shape

1. Roll the working portion into a 14-inch round, ⅛ to ¼ inch thick, dusting with flour as needed. Brush off any excess flour.
2. Drape the dough over a 9-inch pie pan, lifting the edges to ease it down into the corners without stretching.
3. Trim to a 1¼-inch overhang, fold it under, and press to seal — you should have a ¾-inch border. Crimp decoratively for a single-crust pie. (For a double-crust, skip the crimp and roll out the second portion the same way, transferring it to a parchment-lined sheet.)
4. Cover the dough well in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight before baking. The dough also freezes for up to 3 months — thaw overnight in the fridge.

Blind-Bake (single-crust pies)

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) with a rack in the lower middle.
2. Line the chilled crust with a 16-inch square of foil (not parchment), pressing it firmly against the dough and letting the excess hang over.
3. Fill the crust to the brim with sugar — yes, sugar. It won't melt, it'll toast and deepen, and you keep the roasted sugar afterward to use in any other recipe.
4. Set the pan on a rimmed baking sheet and bake about 1 hour, until the crust is cooked through and lightly browned. (Glass pans let you peek at the underside.)
5. Lift the foil-and-sugar packet out carefully and set aside on a plate to cool. Let the crust cool to room temperature and use within 12 hours. Store the cooled roasted sugar airtight at room temperature.

The most important rule: Anytime the dough starts feeling sticky — rolling, latticing, crimping, whatever — chill it for a few minutes. Just until the butter firms up, not long enough to turn brittle. Keep a clear shelf and a baking sheet ready for fast transfers.

Trick 1 — Cool the counter: Fill gallon zip-top bags with ice and a little cold water, lay them flat on the counter to chill the surface before rolling.

Trick 2 — Roll between plastic: Two layers of flour-dusted plastic wrap give you an even thickness with less stickiness and less added flour. (Rose Levy Beranbaum and Dorie Greenspan both swear by it.)

Recipe by Stella Parks, with introduction by Kristen Miglore. Excerpted from Food52's Genius Desserts via The Splendid Table.