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Flaky all-butter Pâte Brisée and shortcrust pastry use a baker's percentage of 100% plain flour : 73% cold unsalted butter : 24%–28% ice water : 1.8% fine salt—equal to 155g flour, 113g (1 US stick) cold cubed butter, 3g salt, and 38mL–45mL ice water for a single 9-inch crust, or 310g flour and 226g (2 sticks) butter for a 9-inch double crust. Pulse cold butter in 6 to 10 short bursts until pieces measure 6mm–10mm (pea-sized), chill 60 minutes, blind-bake the shell at 200°C Conventional (180°C Fan / 400°F), and lower to 180°C Conventional (160°C Fan / 350°F) when baking an egg-and-cream quiche custard to 74°C–77°C (165°F–170°F).
Worked Example: Scaling a single 9-inch quiche Lorraine pastry shell (155g plain flour, 113g cold butter, 3g salt, 40mL ice water) up to a 10-inch deep-dish double-crust apple or chicken pot pie (2.4× multiplier) requires 372g plain flour, 270g cold cubed butter, 7g fine salt, and 90mL–105mL ice water.
| Pie / Tart Vessel | Crust Configuration | All-Purpose Flour (g) | Cold Butter (g) | Ice Water Range (mL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8-Inch Fluted Tart / Quiche Ring | Single Crust (3mm) | 135g (1 1/8 US cups) | 98g | 32mL–40mL |
| 9-Inch Standard Pie / Quiche Tin | Single Crust (3mm) | 155g (1 1/4 cups + 1 tbsp) | 113g (1 US stick) | 38mL–45mL |
| 9-Inch Double-Crust Fruit Pie | Top & Bottom Crust | 310g (2 1/2 cups + 1 tbsp) | 226g (2 US sticks) | 75mL–90mL |
| 10-Inch Deep-Dish Double Pie | Deep Top & Bottom (2.4×) | 372g (3.1 US cups) | 270g (2.4 sticks) | 90mL–105mL |
| 9 × 13 Inch Family Pot Pie Lid | Top Crust Sheet Only (1.55×) | 240g (2.0 US cups) | 175g | 58mL–68mL |
Flaky all-butter pie pastry (Pâte Brisée) and savoury shortcrust depend on keeping discrete pockets of solid butter suspended inside a lightly hydrated wheat-flour matrix. Expressed in baker's percentages, the benchmark formulation uses 100% all-purpose plain flour, 73% cold unsalted butter, 1.8% fine sea salt, and 24% to 28% ice-cold water.
For a single 9-inch (23cm) pie or quiche shell rolled to 3mm thickness, that equates to 155g flour, 113g (1 US stick) cold butter cut into 1cm cubes, 3g salt, and 38mL–45mL ice water. Doubling the batch for a 9-inch double-crust apple or cherry pie requires 310g flour, 226g (2 sticks) butter, 6g salt, and 75mL–90mL ice water; scaling to a 10-inch deep-dish pie (2.4×) requires 372g flour and 270g butter.
Whether cutting butter in with fingertips, a wire pastry blender, or a food processor (6 to 10 brief 1-second pulses), stop while butter pieces still measure 6mm to 10mm (the size of garden peas and flattened walnut halves). When those flat butter shards hit a 200°C Conventional (180°C Fan / 400°F) oven, their 16% water content flashes into steam and pushes the surrounding dough apart into flaky blisters.
Drizzle ice water over the flour-butter mixture 15mL at a time, tossing with a fork until a pinched handful holds together without crumbling. Flatten the dough into a 2cm disc wrapped in film and chill at 4°C for at least 60 minutes so hydrated gluten strands relax and do not shrink down the sides of the pie tin.
Custard tarts, quiche Lorraine, and lemon meringue pies require a two-stage bake so the bottom pastry stays crisp underneath a wet filling. Line the chilled pastry shell with crumpled baking parchment, fill to the rim with ceramic baking beans or dried rice, and blind-bake on a preheated steel baking sheet at 200°C Conventional (180°C Fan / 400°F) for 15 minutes.
Lift out the paper and weights, prick the base lightly, brush with beaten egg white to seal micro-pores, and bake uncovered for 5 to 7 minutes until dry and biscuit-scented. Lower the oven to 180°C Conventional (160°C Fan / 350°F) before pouring in your savoury quiche royale (1 whole egg plus 1 yolk per 120mL–150mL cream/milk), baking 30–35 minutes until the center reaches 74°C–77°C (165°F–170°F).
When assembling a double-crust fruit pie or chicken pot pie, brush the bottom rim with cold water, drape the top pastry sheet loosely without stretching, trim a 2cm overhang, and fold the top edge under the bottom edge before crimping. Cut four or five 3cm steam vents in the top crust so boiling filling moisture can escape rather than lifting and soggifying the pastry dome.
Chill the assembled pie for 20 minutes before brushing with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 15mL milk or cream) and baking on the lower-middle rack so the bottom crust browns evenly.
All-butter Pâte Brisée and shortcrust discs can be wrapped tightly in two layers of clingfilm and refrigerated for 48 hours or frozen for 2 months; thaw frozen pastry slowly overnight at 4°C rather than microwaving so the 6mm–10mm butter flakes stay intact. When baking fruit pies in thick glass or ceramic dishes instead of anodized aluminum tins, drop the oven rack one level lower so radiant heat crisps the bottom crust.
Every baker's-percentage pastry chart and quiche royale formula presented here is an original culinary engineering guide with no connection to any named chef or media company.
Use 100% plain all-purpose flour, 73% cold unsalted butter, 1.8% fine salt, and 24%–28% ice water—which equals 155g flour, 113g (1 US stick) cold butter, 3g salt, and 38mL–45mL ice water for a single 9-inch crust, or 310g flour and 226g butter for a 9-inch double crust.
Pulse or rub cold cubed butter into the flour until the fat pieces measure 6mm to 10mm across (the size of garden peas and walnut halves); those visible butter pockets flatten during rolling and release steam at 200°C (180°C Fan / 400°F) to create flaky layers.
Chilling the wrapped dough disc at 4°C for 60 minutes allows stretched wheat gluten strands to relax so the crust does not slump or shrink inward when blind-baked, while firming the butter shards so they do not smear into the flour.
Blind-bake the parchment-lined and bean-weighted pastry shell at 200°C Conventional (180°C Fan / 400°F) for 15 minutes (plus 5–7 minutes uncovered), then lower the oven to 180°C Conventional (160°C Fan / 350°F) to bake the egg-and-cream custard gently for 30–35 minutes to 74°C–77°C (165°F–170°F).
Multiply the single 9-inch shell (155g flour, 113g butter) by 2.4× to yield 372g plain flour, 270g cold butter, 7g salt, and 90mL–105mL ice water—enough for both the deep bottom liner and a vented top lid.
No—every pastry percentage and pan conversion table on this page is an independent culinary math reference based on USDA gram weights, with no celebrity affiliation.
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