Homemade all Butter Pie Crust Recipe from Scratch (2024)

Homemade all Butter Pie Crust Recipe from Scratch

Four basic ingredients are required to achieve the perfect pie crust, butter, water, flour, and salt. An all butter pie crust results in a light, flaky, tender crust that is golden in appearance.

You Need:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled and grated
1/4 cup ice water

1. Chill the butter until it’s very cold, then grate it with a cheese grate. Put it back in the fridge while you move to the next step.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt.
3. Using a pastry blender or your hands, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. 
5. Add the ice water a tablespoon at a time, just enough to form the dough into a ball.
6. 
7. Flatten the dough a bit, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (or for at least an hour or two!)
8. 
9. Use the dough like you would any pie crust, roll it out on a very lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Or roll it out on a pastry mat. I prefer a pastry mat because then the crust doesn’t get tough.
10. 
11. Transfer it into the pie plate, if you’re making a single crust pie, trim and flute the edges and poke the middle with a fork. Wrap in plastic wrap and return to fridge for 20 minutes or so.
12. 
13. Bake the shell with a piece of foil or parchment paper weighted with pie weights, else fill with filling of your choice, top with another pie crust and bake.
14. For the Shell, Bake in a preheated oven at 375 F for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown, then remove the foil or parchment.

No, Butter Isn’t Shortening, Here’s Why:

Shortening consists of 100 percent fat. This contrasts with other fats like butter, which typically contains about 80 percent fat, with the remaining being water and milk solids. The fact that shortening is all fat contributes to its unique properties in baking and cooking.

The term ‘shortening’ actually comes from the phrase ‘to shorten a dough,’ which means to make it crumbly or flaky – something that both butter and shortening can do.

However, in modern culinary terms, ‘shortening’ usually refers specifically to hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is 100% fat. It’s flavorless, has a higher melting point than butter, and creates a very tender texture in baked goods.

Butter, on the other hand, is about 80-82% fat, with the rest being water and milk solids. It has a distinct, rich flavor that it can impart to recipes, and it can create a flakier texture in pastries due to its water content.

So, while butter can technically be considered a type of shortening, in the kitchen, they’re typically thought of as different ingredients with unique properties.

Butter and shortening are both fats used in baking, but they are not the same and have different effects on baked goods.

1. Composition: Butter is a dairy product made from cream or milk, containing about 80% fat, 15% water, and 5% milk solids. On the other hand, shortening is 100% fat, often made from vegetable oils that have been hydrogenated to make them solid at room temperature.
2. Flavor: Butter has a rich, creamy flavor that can enhance the taste of baked goods. Shortening is virtually flavorless, which allows the other ingredients in a recipe to shine through.
3. Texture: The water content in butter turns to steam in the oven, creating flaky layers in pastries and pie crusts. Shortening, being all fat with no water, creates a softer, more tender texture.
4. Melting Point: Butter has a lower melting point than shortening. This means that butter can make cookies spread more during baking, while shortening keeps them more compact.
5. Health: Butter contains saturated fats but also provides some nutritional benefits like vitamins A, D, E, and K. Shortening, particularly if made from partially hydrogenated oils, contains trans fats, which are generally considered less healthy.

So, while butter and shortening can sometimes be used interchangeably in recipes, the results will not be exactly the same due to these differences.

See Also:

Cream Cheese Piecrust

Homemade all Butter Pie Crust Recipe from Scratch- Print Now