Name: Kids Pie Dough
Total time: 2 h 15 min
Ingredients: 1½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) all-purpose flour; 1 tablespoon sugar; ½ teaspoon table salt; 12 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 12 pieces and chilled; 6 tablespoons (3 ounces/85 grams) ice water

Why This Recipe Works

Making homemade pie dough, even if you’re a kid, doesn’t have to be intimidating—with this kid-friendly recipe it’s as easy as, well, pie! The dough comes together in the food processor, doesn’t require any kneading, and can be made up to 2 days in advance. The key to a tender, flaky pie crust is keeping the butter cold as you make the dough, so you end up with little pieces of butter throughout. The water in those bits of butter turns to steam in the oven, creating flaky layers. To keep the dough chilly, we use ice water in this recipe. Have your young chef use an instant-read thermometer to take the temperature of the ice water before adding it to the food processor in step 3. It should be at or near 32°F, which is the freezing point of water.

Before You Begin

When ice water is called for in a recipe, it is essential that the water is very, very cold—but we do not want the ice to end up in the food! Here is the best way to measure out ice water: Fill up a large glass with ice and water. Keep this in the refrigerator until right before you need to use it—this is VERY important! Place liquid measuring cup on a scale (if using) and tare the scale. Hold fine-mesh strainer above liquid measuring cup. Pour ice water through strainer until you have 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) ice water. Discard ice and remaining water.

Instructions

Place flour, sugar, and salt in food processor. Lock lid into place. Turn on processor and process mixture for 3 seconds. Stop processor.

Remove lid and sprinkle chilled butter pieces over flour mixture. Lock lid back into place. Hold down pulse button for 1 second, then release. Repeat until mixture looks like coarse crumbs, about eight 1-second pulses.

Remove lid and pour ice water over mixture. Lock lid back into place. Turn on processor and process until little balls of butter form and almost no dry flour remains, about 10 seconds. Stop processor.

Remove lid and carefully remove processor blade (ask an adult for help), and form and shape dough into 6-inch disk following photos, “Step-by-Step: How to Make Pie Dough,” below.

Refrigerate disk of dough for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days before using.