My favorite flaky, delicious buttermilk pie crust (made with a food processor). This is seriously the easiest pie dough you will ever make or work with!
Hey, it’s a Saturday. What’s a Baking Mischief recipe doing in your feed!? Welcome to Simple Saturdays!
I have a ton of foundation recipes or simple tips and tricks I have been wanting to add to the blog but just haven’t been able to fit into the Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule.
I’ve simply published a couple of them backdated in the feed so I can link to them in recipes, but adding another posting day to the schedule seemed like the best compromise to make sure they are seen (and can therefore be of use), so every other Saturday, we’ll have a simple recipe, trick, or maybe a round up I’ve been dying to do.
And if you have any requests for posts or something you would like to see, shoot me an email! I want to post the things that are going to best help you!
Okay, table setting aside. On to the recipe: My Favorite Buttermilk Pie Crust! You’ve seen this recipe before. I used it for my Green Eggs and Ham Mini Quiche, my Easy Beef Pasties, and it will show up again in a recipe this Friday, but I know pie crust can be intimidating for a lot of people (it certainly was for me), so I wanted to do a step by step walk through.
I LOVE this pie crust for these reasons, in this order:
- It’s SO delicious and flaky. It’s an all butter crust, and nothing beats the rich taste of pure butter in pie crust.
- It’s incredibly easy to work with when rolling out and shaping.
- It’s the easiest thing in the world to make. Seriously. I have pictures to prove it.
This method uses a food processor. You CAN make this dough with a pastry cutter* and a bowl–that’s how I make most of my other pie crusts to ensure a nice and flaky finished product, but this dough produces such a flaky crust that making it in the food processor doesn’t seem to affect it at all. So for the convenience, if at all possible, I say use a food processor!
If you don’t own one, this is the food processor I have*, and I love it.
This recipe makes about 24 ounces of dough. That’s enough for two 9-inch crusts. A half batch will make a single 9-inch crust or two 6-inch pie crusts for mini pies. If you have a small food processor, I recommend making only a half batch at a time, as the 5-cup models will have trouble processing this amount of dough.
And now how to make the easiest buttermilk pie crust in the world:
Dump all the dry ingredients in your food processor.
Add chilled butter and pulse until butter is about the size of a pea.
Drizzle in buttermilk…
…and pulse until mixture just begins to clump together.
You know it’s done and has enough liquid if it holds its shape when pressed together.
Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on the counter and dump half of the mixture onto the wrap.
Press tightly into a disk (if you are going to make full, round crusts, make your disk as circular as possible since it will make rolling easier later–these were destined to become mini pie crusts so I didn’t bother) and repeat with the other half of the crumbs. Store in a plastic bag and refrigerate for at least an hour, up to two days before using.
Roll out, shape, and make into something delicious like:
- Easy Dutch Apple Pie
- Game of Thrones Frey Pie
- Pie Crust Pizza Tarts
- Individual Chicken Pot Pies
- Mini Dutch Apple Galette
P.S. If you have any leftover scraps of pie dough, check out this post on What to Do With Leftover Pie Dough.
My Favorite Buttermilk Pie Crust
Ingredients
Full Batch (9-inch Double Crust)
- 1 cup (8oz, 2 sticks) cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 2 1/2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (13g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup buttermilk*
Half Batch (9-inch Single Crust or 6-inch Double Crust)
- 8 tablespoons (4oz, 1 stick) cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 1 1/4 cups (150g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup buttermilk
Quarter Batch (6-inch Single Crust)
- 4 tablespoons (2oz) cold unsalted butter cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons (75g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons to 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons buttermilk
Instructions
- Before you begin measuring everything out, place the cubed butter in the freezer to chill.
- Stir together flour, sugar, and salt, and pour into the food processor. Add butter and pulse until butter is cut into the flour, but still has visible chunks no larger than a pea.
- While pulsing, slowly pour in 1/2 cup of the buttermilk (1/4 for half batch, 2 tablespoons for a quarter batch) and continue to pulse until the buttermilk is incorporated into the dough. At this point, your dough should look like rough crumbs and just hold its shape if squeezed together. If the dough does not, add a a little more buttermilk, a teaspoon at a time.
- Lay a sheet of plastic wrap on the counter and dump half of your dough crumbs onto the sheet. (If you are making only a single crust, do not divide dough.) Gather the edges and press tightly together to form a 1-inch thick disk. Do the same with the rest of the dough. Place in a plastic bag and refrigerate for at least an hour, up to 24.
Notes
Nutritional Information
Recipe Adapted From: B.Britnell
Make-ahead Instructions: This dough does very well when made ahead of time. Simply store as shown, in the refrigerator, and use within 48 hours or freeze.
Freezer Instructions: Freeze plastic-wrapped dough in a freezer bag and keep for up to 3 months. To use, defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
*Links marked with an asterisk are affiliate links, which means I receive small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.
Sara says
Thank you for this recipe! my pie turned out fabulous!
Tracy says
Sara, I am beyond delighted to hear this! 🙂
Marci says
Ate you supposed to prebake before filling and cooking? Or cook after filled?
Tracy says
Hi Marci, depends what type of pie you are making. Fruit pies no, custard pies, generally yes.
Linda says
What about pumpkin, bake crust first or not?
Tracy says
Hi Linda, blind bake first. 10 to 15 minutes at 400° with a sheet of parchment paper or foil inside filled with pie weights, until the crust edges are just lightly golden. Remove weights and foil and bake for another couple of minutes, up to 5, until the bottom of the pie no longer looks wet. This crust sometimes puffs up a little during the second step and you can just gently pat it down right after it comes out of the oven.
Hope the crust works out well for you!
Rebecca says
I never bake the crust first for pumpkin pie or any of my baked pies. With the length of time the custard pies have to bake the exposed edge crust needs to be covered for a time to prevent getting to dark or even burning. Plus my crusts turn out nice and browned and flakey. JS
Cynthia says
Thank you for doing the math for the various size pies. I was going to buy a refrigerated crust but you made it so easy, I have to go for it! Making individual Chicken Pot Pies, think I will use a double crust…
Tracy says
Happy to help! 😉 Hope your pot pies turn out awesome!
Sue says
I love using buttermilk in my pie dough. I make a lot of pies and I’ve found that if I roll out the pie shells flat and wrap them individually in plastic wrap and lay them on top of each other on a non-sided cookie sheet and put the sheet in the freezer I can have a nice pie anytime I want. Just take off the top layer and bring it to room temp (doesn’t take long at all). No rolling pin or flour mess to clean up and I have a pie in no time.
Tracy says
Hi Sue, thanks for the great tip!
Maryam says
Thank you for this recipe .. I want to try it but I have question if you could answer me:
what’s difference between pie and tart???
Tracy says
I hope you enjoy the recipe, Maryam! As for your question, check out this article–it gives a good overview: http://www.thekitchn.com/pie-vs-tart-whats-the-differen-68710
CToth says
This pie crust was excellent. I made it for your French Apple Galette and it turned out perfectly. Thank you for the measurements for 1/4 pie crust – genius when baking for two. So easy using the food processor. Great recipe
Tracy says
This makes me so happy to hear! Thanks for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed it!!
Sheila says
Hi there,
I heard you can assemble fruit pies and freeze ahead of time before baking… I’m wondering if this pie shell recipe would hold up too?
Tracy says
Hi, Sheila. Yes, you can treat this just like regular pie crust.
Kristin says
Hi there! Can this recipe be used for the foundation of pierogies? Thanks in advance!
Tracy says
Hi, Kristin, you could definitely fill it with pierogi filling and bake it, making like a pierogi/pasty hybrid, but I wouldn’t try boiling it like traditional pierogi dough. Hope that helps!
Jill says
The easiest pie crust I’ve ever made and it rolls, bakes and tastes great! I’ll exclusively use this recipe.
Tracy says
Thanks, Jill! This is one of my favorite recipes, so I’m always so happy when other people find and enjoy it!
Suswan Miller says
Wow! That looks to be an awesome recipe… and I hope I can finally achieve good pastry! I am a good cook/baker but pastry is my downfall. I am a Brit and live in northern Portugal – where they don’t sell Buttermilk .. however, I am planning on making something similar with yogurt and milk. Do you think that will work ? I so hope so !
Thank you !
Susan Miller says
Susan … not Suswan !!! Good grief! I can’t find an edit button … lol!
Tracy says
Hi, Susan. People make pie crust with yogurt all the time, so I would think it would work just fine. Please let me know how it turns out! And good luck! 🙂
Carla says
I do not kwn a food processor, what now?
Tracy says
Hi, Carla. You can cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter and mix in the buttermilk like you would with a traditional pie crust OR freeze the butter and grate it into your flour and then use a fork to mix in the buttermilk until the dough clumps and forms. Hope that helps!
Vick boston says
I’ve tried many crust recipes. They all seem to work well.buBut I have trouble with the bottom crust being flaky or even done. What am i doing wrong? Nothing worse Han a gooey pie crust on the bottom.
Tracy says
Hi, Vick, there are a couple things you can do. First, if it’s a custard pie or something that doesn’t bake that long, make sure you’re blind baking the crust as the recipe call for. Second, you can brush the crust with whisked egg white before adding the filling. That will help keep the filling from making the bottom soggy, and finally, if using a metal pie pan (don’t do this with glass or ceramic pans because it can cause them to crack), place a cookie sheet in the oven while it’s preheating, and then put the pie directly onto the hot cookie sheet when it’s time to bake it. This will also help cook the crust faster so it doesn’t end up soggy. Hope that helps, and good luck! 🙂
Denise says
This is a wonderful recipe. I used the quarter recipe to go along with the chicken pot pie recipe and it was the best pot pie I’ve ever made. The crust was so light and flaky.
Tracy says
Thanks, Denise! I’m so happy you enjoyed it. And pot pie sounds really good right about now. You’re making me hungry. LOL.
ree says
Thank you. I’ve been wanting to try my own crust and it came out beautifully and tasted oh so good. All that butter LOL. I did not have buttermilk so added vinegar to milk (google the recipe) and let it sit a bit. I will be using this recipe from now on. I made flat square crusts for chicken pot pie soup.
Tracy says
I’m so glad this recipe worked out for you! And I love the idea of using it on pot pie soup!
Kathy Johnson says
I want to make this pie crust for Thanksgiving but would you tell me how you measure your flour. Do you sift the flour first or do you just spoon it in the measuring cup or how do you do yours thank you so much looking to make this
Tracy says
Hi, Kathy, when I don’t have a scale available, I just give the flour a little stir in the flour container/bag and then scoop it into my measuring cup with a big spoon and sweep off the extra on top with the flat side of a butter knife. Hope that helps!
'Becca Ashley says
This is my favorite pie crust now too–it is really, really GOOD! I used your tip about grating the frozen butter into the flour mix, and it worked very well. I had intended to make your Dutch apple galette with some of the crust (I made a full recipe), but my taste buds took a turn for the savory and I made. . .a chicken alfredo galette! I used your alfredo sauce recipe and some shredded chicken and roasted carrots–perfection! Next time I make a beef roast I’m sure some of it will end up as a galette. Hey, I do have one tip that I can offer as a labor-saver if it’s all to be used as galettes: if you make a full recipe and are dividing it up, weigh the entire mass, divide by the number of crusts you intend to make, put each portion on a piece of waxed paper and cover with another. Use a rolling pin to roughly shape the paper-enclosed crusts. Trim the edges of the paper, slide into Ziploc bags and you’re done. No floury work surface to clean, and each crust is exactly the same weight. I don’t recall offhand where I read that gem, or I’d give credit. It’s a keeper, though–‘rustic’ is in, so let’s make it work for us!
Tracy says
Thank you for the waxed paper tip! So glad this recipe worked out for you, and I totally tested a chicken Alfredo pasty a while back for the blog and then nixed it because, while delicious, I thought no one would be interested in it. LOL. Love the idea of doing it in a galette!
'Becca Ashley says
Ok, so now I’ve revisited the savory galette a few times. . .roast beef with carrots and gravy, chicken with carrots and Alfredo, BBQ chicken and oven fried french fries (now that was GOOD!). . .and each time, I’ve altered the flavor of the crust to complement the filling. So the roast and carrots with gravy had a sugarless crust with onion salt and a dash of black pepper; the Alfredo is sugarless and has light garlic salt and Italian seasonings; the BBQ chicken and oven fried french fries used the sugar and onion salt. . .so many possibilities! This really is the best pie crust. And I just love that you can make it one serving at a time so the flavor can be tailored to the filling. And with that waxed paper trick I picked up, no floury counters to clean up! Tasty beyond belief, and tidy. How can anyone resist?! {obviously not me, oinkity-oink-oink!}
Tracy says
OMG those all sound amazing, but that chicken and fries one I am just dying over!! I am seriously going to have to try this!
lindy harrison says
Hi there-
Maybe i’m missing this, bvut i’m making this with a strawberry filling. Double crust, how long and what temp should this bake? Can I assemble the pie and then bake or do i need to bake the bottom first and then assemble and re-bake?
Tracy says
Hi, Lindy, this crust can be treated just like a normal crust, so however you would regularly bake a pie with this filling, do that. And no, this crust doesn’t need to be pre-baked unless you’re making a custard pie or one that’s not going to be baked at all. Hope that helps!
Tabitha says
Hello, I plan on making this pie crust for a Thanksgiving apple-blueberry pie. How long and at what temp do I bake this pie crust?
Tracy says
Hi, Tabitha, you can treat this crust just like regular pie crust, so whatever temperature/time your apple-blueberry pie recipe calls for, do that, and then just keep an eye on the crust and cover it with a piece of foil if it starts browning too quickly.
Odette says
I’m looking forward to trying this pie crust this weekend. I’m making a savory pie, do you recommend including the sugar as noted in the recipe or possibly deleting it?
Tracy says
I always leave it in when making savory pies. It doesn’t really make the crust sweet, just kind of helps balance out the flavors. If you’re worried about it though, I’m sure you could omit it without any issues. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Claudia says
Does the crust need to be refrigerated for an hr? What’s the soonest I can use it after making it?
Tracy says
I’d give it at least 45 minutes, the full hour, if it’s warm where you are right now. If the butter in the crust isn’t completely chilled, it will make the crust difficult to work with. Good luck!
Maggie says
Tracy,
I’m making this crust for the twenty-third time now so felt I needed to thank you.
This crust is perfect for pot pies, tarts, cookie bars, fruit pies…everything.
And I never have buttermilk, so I use the cream and vinegar trick. Works like a charm.
Thank you so much for an easy perfect staple recipe. Will never buy store bought crust again!
Tracy says
I’m so glad you like the recipe, Maggie! This really is one of my favorites. And I’m thrilled to hear cream and vinegar works here. Thanks for reporting back!
Cheryl says
Would you have measurements for a slab pie crust?
Tracy says
I’ve never done it, but King Arthur Flour has a really good article on turning any pie recipe into a slab pie. https://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2018/09/21/transform-regular-pie-into-slab-pie It looks like you’ll want to x3 the crust for a double crust pie, which won’t all fit in a food processor at once, so you’ll have to work in batches if you’re using one. Hope that helps! If you use this for a slab pie, please let me know how it turns out!
Angelee says
I just made lamb pasties with your pie crust recipe they were delicious and a big hit! Thank you!
Tracy says
Lamb pasties sound amazing!! So glad this crust got to be a part of them. 😉
Jan says
Will this pastry sounds great! Will it hold up for fried hand pies?
Tracy says
I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure, but it’s a really robust dough. I imagine it would work great. If you give it a try, please let me know how they turn out!