![Caramel Apple-Pear Pie](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.southernliving.com/thmb/vGv-VVHYIa-nkgdwBPzWYWsvvE8=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/2665001_Caramel_Aplle_Pear_Pie_455-2000-c80b040e3f1841a9a9285d81bf557988.jpg)
You simply cannot beat a homemade pie crust. Known for its buttery, flaky layers, homemade pie crust can be a difficult art to perfect. It requires time, patience, and attention to detail. But we're here to break it down for you, carrying you to pie dough success.
Our Test Kitchen has provided a few tips and tricks to making this homemade pie dough. 1) Using a food processor to bring together the ingredients for your pie dough helps to ensure that it does not get overmixed, which will result in a tough end product. 2) Chilling the dough before using is important for the flour to hydrate and the butter to resolidify to create those flaky layers.
Once baked, this pie dough results in a buttery crust with a nice golden-brown bottom. This recipe makes enough for a double-crust pie; if you only need a single crust, you can cut the recipe in half, but we recommend simply dividing the dough into 2 discs and stashing one in the freezer. This way, you'll have another batch of pie dough on demand.
We can count many ways to use this homemade pie dough all year long. Utilize this simple homemade pie dough for all your fall baking challenges—pumpkin, apple, and pecan pies are calling your name. It can even be used as the base for tartlets, like our Plum-Pear Tartlets, or summer fruit galettes.
Ingredients
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2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
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1 tablespoon granulated sugar
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2 teaspoons kosher salt
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1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
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6 to 8 tablespoons cold water
Directions
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Pulse all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, kosher salt, and cold unsalted butter in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse wet sand, about 15 pulses. With processor running, slowly drizzle in cold water, processing until a dough forms, about 15 seconds.
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For a double-crust pie, divide dough in half and shape into 2 disks. For tartlets or slab pie, shape all of dough into a large rectangle. Wrap each disk or rectangle in plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.