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.
Patti Jones says
I am a pretty good cook, but have always stayed away from pies/crusts because of early failures! After reading this recipe (thank you for breaking it down for smaller portions), and all the comments, I am ready to tackle it again! In fact, I just spent (too much) time reading many of your recipes and can’t wait to try some of them. Thank you to you, and all those who took time to post their awesome tips!!
Katie says
I have used this recipe before for pies and quiches. I recently used it for baked empanadas. They turned out great. (I always leave out the sugar.)
Jan Smith says
I’ve been looking for an alternative to hot water crust for pork pies. Would this be suitable.? It sounds like it would taste deliciously buttery.
Tracy says
Yes! I’ve used this crust for a pork pie before (https://bakingmischief.com/game-of-thrones-frey-pie/) and it holds up great and tastes fantastic. Would definitely recommend.
Amanda says
I know use this crust recipe for everything from tarts, to pies, to pasties. It’s my new favorite! Super easy and very reliable.
James says
Damn girl, best pie crust I have ever made and eaten, just perfect all around for my meat pies! The crunch, the texture, the flavor OMG!! Thanks!
Maggie says
I found your recipe a couple of years ago and loved it. But just as an experiment, I did some kitchen tests this summer. Made four different recipes. Yours was FAR and away the best in flavor, crumb, and ease of making! Thank you!
Barb says
Love love love this recipe. I modified it using gluten free flour and have made several pie crusts successfully. Ty for a tasty recipe. I tried using this for individual beef wellingtons and had some issues. Not sure if the dough was too cold and not as pliable, but I had a hard time wrapping successfully. I thought I naively used a recipe in an incorrect manner and thought I’d check with you for any tips that would help in the future. Is it possible to use this recipe as a wrap? Thanks!
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!
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. 😉
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!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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!
'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!