This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure for details.
Hi Bold Bakers!
WHAT YOU GET: Buttery and flaky Buttermilk Pie Crust Recipe. My Homemade Buttermilk Pie Crust Recipe is an upgrade to all store-bought pie crusts. Whip this up in an hour, and you’ll have enough pie crust to last you the whole holiday season!
There’s nothing better than slicing into a warm pie during the holidays. As an experienced baker, I’ve learned that making homemade pie crust is the first step to elevating your pie and tart game.
That’s why I have created this lovely Buttermilk Pie Crust recipe for bakers of all experience levels. Though store-bought versions may be a quick fix to your baking needs, you’ll take away even better-tasting pie crusts with this homemade version.
It’s also so simple to make! With just 4 tools and 4 ingredients, you’ll have a beautiful pie crust to use immediately for your favorite pies and tarts.
Difference Between Regular Pie Crust And Buttermilk Pie Crust
You may be wondering what’s the difference between a regular pie crust and a Buttermilk Pie Crust. To answer your question, it’s simply a difference in substituting water for buttermilk.
Making the switch not only makes this pie crust ten times more flakey and tender but also amplifies the crust’s flavor. Most of the time, the pie crust is just a base to your pie and tart filling, but with my Buttermilk Pie Crust recipe, you are making the crust its own delicious component.
No need to go out and buy a carton of buttermilk. Make your own buttermilk substitute with my simple recipe!
All About Butter
In my opinion, butter is the most important ingredient in any delicious pie crust. Butter is the fat made from cows’ milk and wins by a landslide when it comes to quality and taste.
Though you can use shortening as a substitute, using butter will give you a sturdier, tastier, and flakier crust. In Ireland, I never used shortening and it tends to be of cheaper and lower quality since it’s made from oil.
The best way to get a flaky pie crust is to use cold butter. It needs to be solid so that when you are working the dough it disperses the bits of cold butter. After the crust bakes, the cold butter will melt and cause small steam pockets to form inside the dough. That’s the goal here to create those distinct, flaky layers!
Tools To Make Buttermilk Pie Crust:
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Large bowl
- Spoon
- Plastic wrap
- Optional: Pastry blender
Pie Crust Techniques
As I mentioned before, making homemade pie crusts is an important skill to learn as a baker. This recipe may give you the basic outline, but I have plenty of other pie crust techniques that you can learn from. Here are a few: ‘How To Blind Bake A Pie Crust’, ‘How To Make Pate Brisee (French Pie Crust Technique)’, and ‘5 Impressive & Easy Pie Design Techniques’.
Especially if you are baking pies with wetter fillings, try blind baking your Buttermilk Pie Crust. Baking your crust just slightly before the actual bake with the filling will prevent a soggy pie crust and leave you with a flakier and crispier pastry in the end.
How To Store Buttermilk Pie Crust
To keep your Buttermilk Pie Crust for longer, freeze your crust in plastic wrap or an air-tight container for up to 2 months. When you want to use your crust, defrost it overnight in the refrigerator.
Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips For Making The Best Buttermilk Pie Crust:
- Always make sure that all of your ingredients are cold before you begin.
- Work quickly and handle the dough as little as possible for the most tender and flaky crust.
- If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own. Measure out ¼ cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) of milk. Remove 1 teaspoon of milk and stir in 1 teaspoon of white vinegar. Let sit for five minutes.
- If I’m making a pie crust, sometimes I make a few at a time. I wrap what I don’t need and freeze it for my next pie.
- You can make this crust in a food processor (especially if you are making more than one). Pulse the flour and salt a few times to combine. Pulse in the butter until the flour resembles coarse crumbs. Pulse in the buttermilk about 5-10 times until some of it just starts to come together. Transfer to a bowl and press into a flattened disc.
- You can use this crust for any of the Pies and Tarts on my website that calls for my Best Ever Pie Crust.
Check Out More Pie Crust Recipes:
- 5-Minute No-Roll Pie Crust (No Equipment)
- Make The Flakiest, Buttery Pie Crust Recipe Every Time
- How To Make A Cookie Pie Crust
- The Flakiest Gluten-Free Pie Crust
- How To Make A Perfectly Flaky Savory Pie Crust
Try These Recipes!
Buttermilk Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups (6¼ oz/177 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (4 oz/115 g) butter, cold and diced
- About ¼ cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) buttermilk
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt.
- Add the butter and blend with a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.
- Stir in the buttermilk with a spoon, then knead briefly until the mixture forms a dough. If it is very dry, you can add a bit of extra buttermilk, ½ teaspoon at a time, until it just comes together.
- Shape the dough into a flattened disc, then wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. For longer storage, freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
- When ready to use, roll the pastry out to ¼-inch (6-mm) thick on a floured surface and line a 9-inch (23-cm) pie dish with it.
Have you ever used vodka in the pie crust?
What temperature do you bake the pie crust for before you add the filling and for how long do you bake it. Do you need to blind bake??? Thanks.
Hi Gemma, can I make a few, roll them into pie tins ans freeze them that way to use in the future? Kinda like how we buy frozen pie crust?
Hello Gemma,
Some quiche crusts call for an egg. Is it not required here or will be ok to add as well? What is it usually for and is buttermilk doing that work? Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge! 🤗
Is it possible to substitute all purpose gluten-free flour for this recipe? Would the liquids have to be adjusted?
Can you use Vegetable shortening
What about a deep dish pie? How much would I increase the ingredients?
Hello Gemma, can I make this into a sweet pastry?