Martha Stewart Basic Pie Dough for Sweet Cherry Pie

Martha Stewart basic pie dough for sweet cherry pie is an easy all-butter double crust made with flour, cold butter and ice water, ready in 15 minutes plus chilling. This quick few-ingredient pie crust fits holiday baking, summer cookouts and Sunday dinner, and it can sit in the fridge for 3 days.

Pulse the butter only until a few pea-size pieces remain, because those little pockets melt in the oven and turn into flaky layers. Blend it smooth and the crust bakes up tough and crumbly instead.

Martha rolls the dough on floured parchment and wraps it around the rolling pin to move it, so the crust never tears or stretches. She also cuts the lattice from wider strips of dough, which weave far more easily than thin ones.

Martha Stewart Basic Pie Dough for Sweet Cherry Pie

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Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Calories

330

kcal

Cold butter pulsed into coarse meal and just enough ice water make a dough that rolls out smooth and bakes up flaky. Chilled disks keep for days, so the crust is ready whenever the cherry filling is.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling
  

• 1 teaspoon salt
  

• 1 teaspoon sugar
  

• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
  

Directions

• Pulse the dough: Combine 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon sugar in a food processor and pulse briefly. Add 1 cup cold butter, cut into pieces, and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal with a few pea-size bits of butter left.
• Add the water: Sprinkle 1/4 cup ice water over the mixture and pulse until the dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed. If it stays too dry, add up to 1/4 cup more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and don't overmix.
• Chill the disks: Divide the dough in half and turn each portion out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Fold the plastic over and press each into a 3/4-inch-thick disk, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
• Roll out the bottom crust: Roll 1 disk on floured parchment paper to a 14-inch round, then wrap it around the rolling pin. Unroll it over a 9-inch pie plate and gently fit it into the bottom and sides without stretching.
• Trim and save the rest: Trim the dough with kitchen shears to a 1-inch overhang all around, then refrigerate the pie plate until you're ready to fill it. Keep the second disk chilled too, since it becomes the top crust.

Tools for this recipe

• Cuisinart 14-cup food processor, J.K. Adams French rolling pin, Pyrex 9.5-inch glass pie plate. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I make this pie dough ahead of time?

Yes, the wrapped disks keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months, then thaw them in the fridge before rolling.

Can I make this dough without a food processor?

A pastry cutter or two forks works the same way. Cut the cold butter into the flour until it looks like coarse meal. Then stir in the ice water with a fork so your warm hands don't melt the butter.

Why does the recipe say to spoon and level the flour?

Scooping straight from the bag packs in extra flour, which makes the dough dry and the crust tough. Spoon the flour into the cup and sweep off the top so you get about 2 1/2 cups.

How do I make the lattice top with this dough?

Martha cuts wider strips from the second disk, because they are easier to handle and weave than thin ones. Lay half the strips across the filling, then weave the rest over and under.

What's the most common mistake with pie dough?

Overmixing is the big one, since it melts the butter and develops gluten, so the crust turns tough instead of flaky. Stop pulsing once the dough holds together when squeezed.