Yield:

2 disks

Here it is: our go-to apple pie crust recipe! Every pastry lover has their own approach for how to make apple pie crust, but here we're sharing are all the best tips and tricks from Martha Stewart and her test kitchen editors after decades of pie making.

When you need a basic, all-purpose apple pie crust, turn to this recipe. It’s an all-butter recipe that’s flaky and light. The recipe makes enough pastry for one double-crust pie or two single-crust pies. The dough keeps well in the refrigerator for up to three days, and the freezer for up to three months, making it easy to prepare ahead of time for the fall and apple pie season.

Why This Crust Works for Apple Pie

This all-butter dough is buttery and flaky, creating the ideal crust for fruit pies. While the dough requires some careful handling to make sure it turns out both tender and flaky, the crust is also sturdy enough to support hearty fillings without getting the dreaded soggy bottom.

Pie dough can also be made with shortening or lard, which are a bit less temperamental than butter, but we think the flavor of all-butter pie crust just can’t be beat.

How to Fit the Dough into a Pie Plate

First, make sure you are working with well-chilled dough. If it starts getting warm and difficult to handle, pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes before you try to transfer it to the pie plate and trim and shape it. The easiest way to fit a rolled-out crust into the pie plate is to gently fold the round of dough in half, then in half again. Pick it up with well-floured hands and lift it up over the pie plate, aiming the point of the folded dough at the very center of the pan. Folding the dough makes it easier to lift, and it helps you locate the exact center so it will be lined up perfectly in the pan.

Ingredients

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Directions

Combine dry ingredients and blend in butter:

In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar; pulse to combine. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with just a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.
Add water:

Sprinkle with 1/4 cup ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed with fingers (if necessary, add up to 1/4 cup more water, 1 tablespoon at a time). To help ensure a flaky crust, do not overprocess.
Divide and chill dough:

Transfer half of dough (still crumbly) onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form dough into a disk 3/4 inch thick; wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (and up to 3 days). Repeat with remaining dough. Makes 2 disks.

Con Poulos

Frequently Asked Questions:

Should apple pie crust be prebaked?

If you’re making a traditional two-crust apple pie, the crust should not be pre-baked. If the bottom crust is baked, you won’t be able to pinch it together with the top crust after adding the filling. Prebaking is only practical for single-crust pies.

How do you make the bottom of an apple pie crust crispy?

Pie crust needs to get hot enough, for long enough, to become browned and crispy. This can be a tricky and frustrating feat with fruit pies because piling a cold, high-moisture filling on top of raw pie dough makes it difficult to get the bottom crust to cook sufficiently before the top crust burns. Get your bottom crusts crispier by using a pie plate made of glass or ceramic, and bake the pie on the bottom rack of your oven.

Do you poke holes in bottom of apple pie crust?

Poking holes in a pie crust is called “docking” and it’s usually done before blind baking (baking a crust with no filling) to prevent the crust from puffing up and getting misshapen. You should NOT dock a fruit pie crust before baking, or the juices will leak through the holes and create burnt spots on the bottom of the crust.

What happens if you don't chill pie crust before baking?