Flaky Fresh Milled Flour Pie Crust with Butter

Paradise Acres Homestead

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Chill Time 2

Total Time 2 30

Course Dessert, Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 5 single crusts

Mill enough soft white wheat berries to make 500g of flour (about 4 cups), plus some extra for rolling out the crust.

In your mixer bowl (or a large mixing bowl), add fresh milled flour, salt, and baking powder. Whisk or stir until everything is evenly combined. I like mixing pie crust in my Bosch mixer using the whisk attachment for a simple way to cut in the butter.

Next, cut the COLD butter into small cubes. Using your mixer with whisks, a pastry cutter, or your fingertips, work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible.
Those little butter pieces are what create that beautiful flaky crust, so avoid overmixing here.

In a small bowl, whisk together egg, vinegar, and cold milk. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture.
Mix just until the dough starts to come together. It may look slightly shaggy at first, but it should hold together when pressed in your hand. Avoid overmixing—this keeps the crust tender instead of tough.

Leave the dough in the bowl and let it rest on the counter for 20–30 minutes. This step is especially helpful when using fresh milled flour because it gives the bran time to fully absorb moisture, making the dough easier to roll out later.

Divide the dough into equal four equal portions.
For a standard 9-inch pie use about 185–220g for a bottom crust, slightly less for a top crust if desired.
Shape each portion into a smooth disk about 1 inch thick, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap, beeswax wrap, or place in a covered container.

Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, but overnight is even better. Cold dough is much easier to roll and helps create a flakier crust.

When ready to bake, remove one dough disk from the fridge and let it sit for about 5–10 minutes if it feels too firm.
Lightly flour your counter, or roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper for easier transfer.
Starting from the center, roll outward in all directions, turning the dough as needed to keep it even.
Roll to about: ⅛ inch thick and about 11–12 inches wide for a 9-inch pie pan.
Try not to overwork the dough.

Carefully lift the dough by gently folding it in half (or using the parchment to help transfer) and place it into your pie dish. Unfold and gently press it into the bottom and sides without stretching it. Stretching causes shrinkage during baking.
Trim excess dough, leaving about 1 inch overhang around the edges. For single layer crust, crimp the edges now. See below on methods on how to flute/crimp a pie crust.

Add your favorite filling. For double crust pies, roll out the top crust and place it over the filling. Seal and crimp the edges, then cut a few slits for steam to escape.
For extra flakiness, chill the assembled pie for 15–20 minutes before baking.
Bake according to your pie recipe.

This step is for no-bake (pudding pies – see my favorite peanut butter pie recipe!), or any pies that you want to bake the crust alone. Follow the steps as usual, after crimping, use a fork to make marks around the bottom and the sides of the crust, making sure to push all the way through the crust. This helps to avoid bubbles when baking.
Bake at 375° for 15-18 minutes till golden brown.

How to Flute a Pie Crust

A common method: Using your index finger in one hand and your index and thumb in your other hand push the sides towards the center with your index and thumb while applying slight counter pressure with your other index finger the opposite direction. Do this the whole way around.
My method: With one hand use your index and middle finger on the outside of the crust, and your thumb on the inside of the crust (between the two fingers) push the crust between your fingers. Do this the whole way around.

Keyword butter pie crust, flakey pie crust, fresh milled pie crust