Helen Nugent of Pie-Eyed Girl and author of Pie Style calls this all-butter pie dough recipe her workhorse pie dough because it never lets her down.

“It delivers a tender and flavorful pastry and produces a supple, easy-to-roll dough that doesn’t tear or break under the stress of all sorts of pie decorations including latticing,” she explains.

“The addition of sugar to this recipe helps to tenderize the dough and adds a golden color to the baked crust.”

Single-Crust Pie Dough Recipe:

Makes one disc, enough for one single-crust, standard 9-inch (23-cm) pie or tart

11⁄4 cups (51⁄2 oz/155 g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp (1⁄3 oz/9 g) granulated sugar
1⁄2 tsp kosher salt
1⁄2 cup (4 oz/113 g) unsalted butter, chilled
3 tbsp (11⁄2 oz/43 g) ice water

Double-Crust Pie Dough Recipe:

Makes two discs, enough for one double-crust, standard 9-inch (23-cm) pie

21⁄4 cups (10 oz/284 g) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp (1⁄2 oz/14 g) granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
1 cup (8 oz/227 g) unsalted butter, chilled
5 tbsp (21⁄2 oz/71 g) ice water

Fill a small bowl with cold water and ice cubes and set it aside.

Place the flour, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Pulse two to three times in a food processor or mix on low speed (speed 2) in a stand mixer to combine and distribute the ingredients.

Cube the butter into 1-inch (3-cm) pieces. Add these to the bowl. Pulse four to six times in the food processor or mix on low speed (speed 2) in the stand mixer to coat the butter with flour and to cut it into the dry ingredients.

Add the ice water, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time, pulsing two times or mixing on low speed (speed 2) for 15 seconds between each addition.

After all of the water has been added, continue to pulse or mix at low speed until the dough just begins to clump together (an additional fifteen to twenty pulses in a food processor or 3 to 4 minutes in a stand mixer).

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cup your hands around the dough and gently bring it together into a ball.

If making a double pie crust, cut the ball in half.

Press gently with the heel of your hand to flatten the pieces into discs that are 1 inch (3 cm) thick.

Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.

Variation: Savory Pie Dough

For a single crust, omit the sugar and add 1⁄2 teaspoon of freshly ground black or mixed peppercorns to the Everyday All-Butter Pie Dough recipe. For a double crust, omit the sugar and add 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black or mixed peppercorns to the Everyday All-Butter Pie Dough recipe.

Variation: Chocolate Pie Dough (Single Crust)

Reduce the amount of flour to 1 cup (4 1⁄2 oz/128 g) and add 2 tablespoons (1⁄2 oz/14 g) of unsweetened cocoa powder. Increase the granulated sugar to 2 tablespoons (1 oz/30 g) and omit the salt.

Reprinted with permission from Pie Style by Helen Nugent, Page Street Publishing Co. 2020. Photo credit: James Brand.

See Helen’s Climbing Roses Peach Pie Recipe and Tutorial here.