With Thanksgiving just a few days away, here is a refresher on how to make flaky, flavorful pie dough using butter and only butter.

I expect there are some people out there who are making pie for the very first time this Thanksgiving. And that prospect may be intimidating. You can, of course, make something else for dessert. Or buy a premade pie crust. There are some very good storebought crusts on the market. Heck, you can even buy the pie from your favorite local bakery. We all want to do our part to support local businesses.

But, if you are feeling bold and want to surprise your family with their favorite pie (or pies) this Thanksgiving made from scratch, I want to be your cheerleader and I promise you, you can do it. Here are my best tips and a foolproof recipe for making really delicious pie crust this Thanksgiving.

1. Take your time. Pastry needs time to relax – or the gluten in the pastry needs time to relax — before it is rolled out. (The key idea is not to develop the gluten in the flour into long strands, which makes it chewy like pasta. That results in a tough or rubbery crust. You want to keep your gluten short.) Therefore, make your pie crust dough at least the day before you plan to bake your pie. You can make it up to several days ahead, which actually is very convenient. Pastry dough even freezes well.
2. Keep your cool. This is a two-fold hint. One, keep your ingredients cold. Cold, even frozen, butter is a must. Ice water to help it come together. You can even chill your flour prior to mixing. Then, once the dough comes together, refrigerate it overnight before rolling it out. (Take it out of the fridge about ten minutes before you want to roll it out to minimize cracking.) But also, keep your cool. Be Zen. The pastry can sense fear.
3. Butter tastes good. I strongly believe in all-butter pie crusts because they simply taste better. Yes, all-butter crusts are trickier to work with. Yes, adding shortening helps make the pastry flakier. But shortening does not taste good. So, my recommendation is that you use only butter in your pie crust. The kind of butter makes a difference here. Seek out European-style butter with at least 82% butterfat. The keys to keeping an all-butter pie crust flaky are the two tips above and…
4. Add a tenderizer. If you are making an all-butter pie crust, you need to add some acid, like vinegar or lemon juice, as a tenderizer. You won’t taste it in the crust, believe me. But it will help your all-butter crust taste good and be flaky.
5. It’s all about the process. Use a food processor to combine the flour and butter. Don’t mess around with a pastry cutter or two knives. (Unless you don’t have a food processor in which case that pastry cutter will be fine, but more work.) A food processor is best for breaking the cold (maybe even frozen?) butter down. But don’t over-process your dough. Pulse it and watch closely. You want the butter to be in gravel-sized pieces with some pea-sized pieces mixed in there for good measure. When the crust bakes, the water in the butter will evaporate creating steam, which creates layers. Layers = flakiness. When you roll out your pie crust, you should be able to see some chunks of butter. That’s the sign you’ve done it right.

Notice the pieces of butter throughout?

Once, you’ve made your crust, there are a few secrets to help prevent the dreaded “soggy bottom,” keep your fruit fillings from being too soupy and to make sure your pie looks as beautiful as it tastes.

• Brush the bottom of the pie plate with some softened or melted butter before putting in the bottom crust. This will help the bottom of the pie brown.
• Before pouring in the filling, sprinkle a mix of flour and granulated sugar inside the bottom crust to act a barrier between any liquid and the bottom crust. Hoosier Mama Pie Company – a local pie shop – calls this “Crust Dust.”
• After you combine the fruit, sugar and other ingredients for the filling, let it sit for up to 30 minutes. Then, use a slotted spoon to move the filling into the pie pan, leaving any accumulated liquid behind.
• Another Hoosier Mama trick: right before baking, brush the crust with a mixture of milk and cream, then sprinkle with a coarse sugar like Demerera for a golden brown, glossy finish.
• Chill the pie for 30 minutes before baking.

Want to learn even more? Here are some wonderful pie cookbooks that I heartily recommend.

• Art of the Pie: A Practical Guide to Homemade Crusts, Fillings and Life by Kate McDermott: I know Kate personally and she is a special woman, in addition to being the pie expert. This book has been a runaway hit and is an instant classic. A must-have. With amazing photographs by New York Times photographer Andrew Scrivani.
• The Hoosier Mama Book of Pie by Paula Haney: I really honed my technique using this book from local Chicago area pie baker, Paula Haney, the Hoosier Mama. Very detailed and thorough instructions, especially for making crust. Read my full review.
• Teeny’s Tour of Pie: A Cookbook by Teeny Lamothe: Teeny went all around America to different pie shops acquiring pie wisdom. Full of charming recipes and anecdotes. I like the regional fillings.
• Dinner Pies by Ken Haedrich: Pie is not just dessert! This book is full of savory pies, like shepherd’s pies, pot pies, quiches and turnovers. Pie is the ultimate one-dish meal. Practice your pastry skills while making dinner.

Good luck with your pies and don’t hesitate to reach out to me on social media if you need help. You can do it!

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Perfect All-Butter Double-Crust Pie Dough

Ingredients

• 7 ounces cold, unsalted European-style butter
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ½ cup ice water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar

Instructions

1. Cut the butter into small cubes and place half of the cubes in the freezer. Return the other half to the refrigerator until needed.
2. Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to mix. Add the chilled butter from the refrigerator to the dry ingredients and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
3. Add the frozen butter to the food processor and pulse until the butter is in small but still visible pieces.
4. Combine the lemon juice and ice water and add six tablespoons of the mixture to the ingredients in the food processor. Pulse several times until combined. Pinch a bit of the dough and if it holds together, you do not need to add more liquid. If it is still dry, add more of the liquid, one-half tablespoon at a time. Remove the dough to a bowl or a well-floured board.
5. Knead the dough until it forms a ball. Divide the dough into two and wrap each half well in plastic wrap. Place the dough in the refrigerator to relax for at least a half-hour but preferably overnight.
6. Begin by rolling out the bottom crust: remove one of the balls of dough from the refrigerator. If your dough was chilled for longer than thirty minutes, allow to soften for ten to fifteen minutes before rolling it out.
7. Prior to rolling out the dough, strike it with your rolling pin to flatten. This will soften it further.
8. Preheat the oven to 400 and grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate.
9. Liberally dust a pastry board or mat and your rolling pin with flour.
10. Roll the dough out, rotating it and turning it frequently and adding more flour as necessary to keep it from sticking, until it is the size of your pie plate and between ¼ and ⅛ of an inch thick.
11. Carefully center the pie dough in the plate and press it into the bottom and sides. Trim or fold over any excess dough around the edges.
12. Sprinkle the bottom of the plate with a teaspoon each of sugar and flour to prevent the filling from making the crust soggy
13. Chill the dough in the pie plate 30 minutes.
14. Pour filling into pie plate making a mound in the center.
15. Carefully place top crust on top of filling and pinch edges of the top and bottom crusts together. Use your fingers to create a nice, fluted edge. Cut three or four tear-shaped holes in center of top crust to act as a vent.
16. Alternatively, to create a lattice top, cut even strips of dough about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick using a paring knife or fluted pastry wheel. Lay out strips of dough horizontally, using the shorter strips on the edges and the longest strips for the middle.Fold back every other strip and lay down one vertical strip of dough in the middle. Unfold the strips of dough. (The one vertical strip should be woven over and under the horizontal strips.) Fold back the strips you did not fold back the first time and lay down a second vertical strip of dough. Unfold. Repeat with remaining strips of dough working from the center of the pie out to create a woven lattice. Trim any excess that hangs over the edge and then crimp together the edges of the bottom and top crusts.
17. Combine the milk and cream and brush the top of the pie with the mixture. Sprinkle the top with Turbinado sugar if desired.
18. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.
19. After 25 minutes, reduce heat to 375. It is a good idea, at this point to cover the edges of the crust with tin foil or use a pie crust shield to prevent them from burning.
20. Bake pie at 375 for 35-45 minutes until crust is deep golden and filling is bubbling.
21. Cool on a rack completely before slicing.

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