Butter Pastry for Single Crust 9-inch Pie

The foundation of any pie is its crust. This recipe produces a sturdy yet flaky pie pastry specifically for single crust pies. It's crisp, light, and won't crumble apart when cutting.

Prep

40 minutes

Cook

10 minutes

Servings

One 9-inch Pie Shell

Level

Easy

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (1 stick) Challenge European Style Butter (Salted)
  • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 to 4 Tablespoons very cold water

Directions

Directions

  • 1

    Butter should be cut into ½ -inch cubes and frozen.

  • 2

    Combine flour and salt in food processor with knife blade attachment and process for about 8 to 10 seconds.

  • 3

    Add cold butter cubes and process by pulsing approximately 8 to 10 times or until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Do not over mix.

  • 4

    Add water through food chute with processor running. Add only enough water to moisten so dough begins to clump. Do not allow the dough to gather into a single mass.

  • 5

    Form into a 4-5 inch disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling. This will make the dough more elastic and easier to handle. (Dough will keep several days in the refrigerator and several months in the freezer, but will need to be tempered before rolling.)

  • 6

    Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface, into a 12-inch round; fit pastry into a 9-inch pie pan. Trim away excess allowing ½ to ¾-inch over hang. Fold dough edge under and crimp or flute. For best results freeze crust before filling or baking.

  • 7

    Bake or fill according to recipe directions.

To bake empty pastry shell:

  • 8

    Preheat oven to 450°F.

  • 8

    Prick the bottom and sides of the pastry generously with a fork – particularly where the bottom and sides meet. (If using a pan with removable bottom, do not prick holes in the pastry; instead, fit a piece of foil onto the unbaked pastry and fill with pastry weight or dried beans.)

  • 8

    Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Notes

  • !

    If you do not have a food processor, follow the preparation instructions included in Butter Pastry for Double crust 9-inch.

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