Art of the Pie® Dough Recipe
For those who would like a print at home recipe. This is the Art of the Pie® dough that I have taught with great success to thousands of people who come to my Art of the Pie® Workshops. And yes, if you prefer an all butter crust, 14 Tablespoons will be just fine. Here’s the link for a full description of how to make.
A chubby disc ready for rolling. Photo by K Cline
Recipe: Art of the Pie® Basic Pie Dough
This is the Basic Pie Dough that I have taught to thousands at Art of the Pie workshops across the country. For more information on workshops please visit www.artofthepie.com.
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 cups 363g unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp 3g salt
- *8 Tbs 112g of Kerrygold or other salted or unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon size pieces
- *8 Tbs 112g leaf lard
- 8 Tbs 118g of ice water (This is an average but sometimes the dough takes more or less.)
- * For ALL BUTTER dough use 14 Tbs (196g of Kerrygold or other salted or unsalted butter for your total fat)
- * For VEGAN dough use 8 Tbs Earth Balance Buttery Stick, plus 8 Tbs Earth Balance Shortening Stick for a total of 16 Tbs (224 g).
Instructions
- Put all ingredients but the ice water in a large bowl.
- With clean hands, blend the mixture together until it looks like coarse meal with some lumps in it that looks like cracker crumbs, peas, and almonds. The lumps make flakey pies.
- Sprinkle ice water over mixture and stir lightly with a fork.
- Squeeze a handful of dough together. Mix in a bit more water if it doesnʼt keep together.
- Divide the dough in half and make two chubby disks about 5 inches across.
- Wrap the disks separately in plastic wrap and chill for about an hour.
- Take out one disk and put it on a well-floured board, pastry cloth, parchment paper or plastic wrap.
- Sprinkle some flour onto the top of the disk. Thump the disk with your rolling pin several times.
- Turn it over and thump the other side.
- Sprinkle more flour onto the top of the crust if needed to keep the pin from sticking and roll the crust out from the center in all directions.
- When it is an inch or so larger than your pie pan, brush off the extra flour on both sides. Fold the dough over the top of the pin and lay it in the pie pan carefully.
- Donʼt worry if the crust needs to be patched together; just paint a little water where it needs to be patched and “glue” on the patch piece.
- Put the filling in the pie and repeat the process with the other disk.
Notes
This recipe will make one double-crust pie or two single-crust pies for 9" pie pans. Leaf lard is available at some butcher shops, farmers markets and also by mail-order. *If you prefer an all-butter crust, use about 14 Tablespoons of Kerrygold or other salted or unsalted butter for your total fat. It will take about 5-7 minutes to put the dough together. Minimum chill time is 20 minutes but 1-2 hours is great. After chilling, dough discs may be frozen for up to 1 month. Be Happy and Make Pie!
Go Kate Go! I just discovered a similar plugin– makes things so easy, and now I can start my Kate McDermott Awesome Pie section in my three ring binder. Kate where do you buy your leaf lard? I forgot. Thanks! Tom on Vashon.
So sweet! I’ve been getting it at Dietrich’s Meats in Pennsylvania. Sea Breeze is on the island and usually has it at the Seattle farmers markets, too. You may want to give them a call and pick some up.
After many years of making Kate’s pies after her amazing class, I have developed a really nice relationship with an Etsy seller, The Lardist. He has high quality leaf lard from humanly raised pigs, is super responsive and a real joy to work with. https://www.etsy.com/shop/Lardist?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=182050983 cannot recommend him highly enough
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Hi Kate,
I just discovered your website! Great information on making pie crust. I made an apple pie today; however the pie crust cracked during the baking process. I used a combination of butter (Plugra) and leaf lard (2 ozs.). I made the dough in the food processor and then added more ice water as necessary. I chilled the dough and it rolled out beautifully. After I assembled the pie, I put it in the freezer for 15 mins; then into the hot oven (375). What would cause the crust to crack when it’s baking. This has happened more than once and don’t know what to do. I do use King Arthur flour (all purpose). Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you.
Dear Kate,
My Grandmother made her pie crusts using lard. She mixed her crusts in a large wooden bowl full of flour. She knew just how to mix the dough without measuring. Thank you for giving the measurements. I was too small to understand how she always got it right.
Jo Ryal
Hi Jo- My pleasure! When I was young, I learned without measuring equipment too– a little of this, and a little of that. Kate
Hi Kate,
Thank you for your generosity by sharing your recipes. Do I have to use leaf lard or can I use all butter when making the crust?
You are most welcome, and you most definitely can make the crust with all butter. 🙂
Good Morning, Kate.
So excited to have found your website and immediately ordered your book Art of the Pie.
I just got 5 pounds of leaf lard from Fannie & Flo’s yesterday and I’m going with your recipe.
Question, I know that the butter has to be very cold, what about the leaf lard?
I’m assuming yes.
Looking forward to hearing from you, and thank you for sharing your art.
Joel (Jody) Dietz
Welcome to Art of the Pie! I’m delighted that you are enjoying the book. I do keep my lard cold, too. A hint for ease: Pre-measure the lard into 4 oz/112g/1/2 cup packets and freeze them. You could do this with butter, too. Then when you are ready to bake, that part of the measuring is already done! 🙂
I made this crust twice, and I love it! If I want to make it a day ahead, can I leave it in the fridge or should I freeze it? How early ahead of bake time do i remove it from the freezer?
Hi Thao- Thanks for checking in. I’m so glad that you like the crust. Making the dough a day ahead is just fine. It can be in the fridge for several days in fact. The dough may change to a bit of a gray color due to oxidation, but it will be fine. Leave it out on the counter until it is warmed up enough so roll out easily. If you are freezing the dough, let it defrost in the fridge overnight, and then set it on the counter until it is a rollable temp. Be Happy, Make Pie! Kate
I have used this wonderful recipe for a double 9 inch pie. How do I adjust the ingredients for a double 10 inch pie? Thank you!
Hi Sue- I’m delighted you like the dough! Making one and a half times the recipe would give you a generous amount with some left over for Little Tasties.
Hi,
Im so excited to begin making pie!
Does gluten free flour substitute equivalent?
Thank you!
More or less, although be sure to check moisture as it can take more. You might also want to look at the FREE GF video series which takes you through the entire process of making, rolling, and baking.
If leaf lard is not available would vegetable shortening work?
Yes, it will. The Art of the Pie dough recipe calls for a total of 1 cup fat (224g). If using shortening, I suggest 1/2 butter/1/2 shortening to total 1 cup.
Thanks to your recipe, great instructions, and tips, I was finally successful at making a pie crust. I tried this crust with your blueberry pie recipe and it was delicious! Thank you, Kate! I’ve ordered your cookbook and look forward to receiving it soon.
This is wonderful, Claire! I’m so happy that you have had success.
I am 3/4th of way through reading your cookbook after just receiving two days ago. What a treasure! I love how you intertwine your story, life lessons, and references to other chefs and cookbooks. Your reference to the White House Cookbook has now encouraged me to read my copy that I inherited from my mother-in-law. I’m afraid it’s just been sitting on a shelf till now.
Thanks again for giving me pie confidence!
You are so very welcome, Claire! It’s great that you will be dusting off the White House Cookbook, too.
I have a quick question about the butter and lard for the pie crust — do you recommend freezing them first? (cutting them into small pieces first, and then freezing them?) or do you recommend just using cold butter from the fridge and leaf lard from the fridge? I’ve never used leaf lard before and I’m just wondering how to store it/and then use it when you’re making the dough.
Thank you!
Hi Jodi- Cold butter and lard are just fine. In hot weather you might consider freezing and grating the butter. I will have even more info about this in book three, Pie Camp coming out on 10/6/2020
Out of curiousity,
can tallow be used in place of the lard?
I’ve heard of tallow recipes. I’m just curious if you think it’d work for this one?
Thanks!
Katelyn
I have not used tallow but I know that there are some who love it. Give it a try!
The best thing about you and your site (besides your recipes, your thought and consideration in how you write them and your warm style) is that you answer questions! It is so frustrating to have a question, post it and it’s left hanging out in the ether. That’s why I turn to you first. So, well, just thank you!
Thank you so much, Roz! I try my best to answer questions in a timely manner and it means a lot to me to read that you notice this. 🙂
I have and love your books the Art of Pie and Pie Camp. Thanks for having this recipe electronically. I like to type up my tried and true recipes to have in a 3 ring binder (protected by plastic). For my first crust I made your all butter crust. It went much more easily than I was expecting. Everyone loved it. The blueberries were great… I need to work on thickening.
Practice makes Pie-Fect!