Easy Pie Crust – it’s the flakiest, all-butter pie crust (no shortening or lard hither), alongside a crisp as well as tender texture as well as delicious season.
It’second an sometime fashioned, made past hand recipe (with a food processor pick also) that’s a meg times meliorate than shop-bought as well as worth every ounce of try.
My Idea of the VERY BEST Homemade Pie Crust
Ah the humble pie crust made alongside the virtually basic ingredients all the same it’sec e'er something (when done correct) that leaves people smitten.
I’ve made countless pie crusts over the years too it wasn’t until this past year (afterward I made xv or more than crusts inwards a few weeks, I’ve been annoyingly obsessive well-nigh it) that I in conclusion felt I could brand the best pie crust we’ve had.
Just how skilful were they? They tasted incredibly delicious bare without the demand of a filling. Many of them we were breaking off generously sized, super flaky pieces before they had a take chances to live filled.
My mom last gave me the ” this is better than mom too grandma made” approving and so I knew I’d lastly gotten in correct.
I hope y'all honey it as much equally nosotros do inwards all it’second glorious, aureate brownish, tender, buttery deliciousness!
It is ane of those things that takes about practice but to go a bully caput get-go I’ve listed a pace-past-footstep photo take in addition to have shared many tips for success and so you can take a picture perfect pie crust you lot’ll live proud of this vacation season!
There are as well directions included for making the pie dough inward the food processor also if y'all’re interested (personally I favor the handmade choice, only permit us know which you lot like best!).
Tips for Making the Best Pie Crust
The butter:
- Be generous with the butter! It gives the pie crust a delicious rich flavor. Having the right ratio keeps the crust from tasting floury.
- Use very cold butter, it will go along it from melting right into the dough too creates wonderfully flaky layers.
- Stick amongst unsalted butter. It doesn’t melt every bit speedily as salted butter, plus by using unsalted yous can control just how much common salt goes into the recipe.
- In warmer climates yous may notice freezing the butter for twenty minutes beforehand plant meliorate.
- Work chop-chop. If you lot find butter is softening so chill intermittently through procedure equally needed.
- Cut butter into flour simply until you lot see pea size too double pea size clumps, this equals more air pockets together with about slightly higher flakier layers. Less butter clumps throughout makes a denser dough.
- Bake with the pie pan set i a baking canvass then it catches buttery drips over the edges and then they don’t stop upwards at the bottom of the oven.
The H2O:
- Only purpose really cold water ice water. Fill the water with plenty of water ice near 10 minutes earlier you lot plan on using it. Again it’second all near a common cold dough.
- Be certain at that place’s no water ice cubes in the H2O y'all measure out out or you’ll cease upwards alongside a steal of water inward the crust in one case it melts.
- Water sum needed can vary based on altitude, brand of flour used, in addition to climate, amidst other things.
- So alongside that said but be mindful when adding the water that you lot add together but barely enough to moisten the dough and then your crust doesn’t stop up oversaturated as well as soggy (we want crisp in addition to flaky crust right?). It should just hold together when y'all clump upwardly a constituent of it in your mitt.
The procedure:
- Don’t over-go the dough so it’s more than tender. You’ll take to compress it together only y'all don’t desire to knead like a pizza dough or bread dough. Just plow it plenty to bring it together.
- Pinch too seal any cracks y'all see earlier chilling. They spread a lot when rolling too it’s merely easier to deal amongst them beforehand. Even however there volition likely live about smaller ones when rolling and so pinch them back together.
- Rest the pie crust dough in the refrigerator. It allows time for the water fourth dimension to hydrate the dough as well as evenly distribute throughout, it also allows time for the gluten to relax making it easier to whorl.
- Use a fair sum of flour when yous whorl out your dough (both below in addition to sprinkling over it) or those buttery streaks tin can stick to the surface. Some people like to lift the dough in addition to plow every bit they scroll it out which is some other choice likewise simply I skip this.
- Work quickly when rolling, together with when shaping the pie crust into the pie dish. Again it’s all most keeping it cold too not over-working it.
- Pie crust should be rolled out to nigh one/four-inch thick together with usually a few inches wider than your pie dish you’re using.
- I similar to permit a generous overhang of dough along the edges of dish, and so tuck that under creating a prissy flaky rim with lots of layers.
More Helpful Tips
- Depending on the type of pie your making (such equally apple pie) y'all may observe it industrial plant amend to bake on a lower rack of the oven then that bottom crust tin go more than browned in addition to crisp.
- Pierce the bottom of the pie crust with a pairing knife nigh 10 times when blind baking (later removing pie weights) to foreclose large air bubbles. Just don’t overdue piercing it because nosotros desire small air bubbles inward in that location.
- Use a pie shield so your crust edge doesn’t over-chocolate-brown or use a telephone of aluminum foil.
- Bake on a pre-heated baking sail as it gives the crust a caput get-go and then it tin get more crisp.
- With a juicy filled baked pie (such every bit fruit or pumpkin pie) you lot tin partially blind bake before filling (bake it 375 virtually 20 minutes alongside the parchment paper and pie weights and so uncover, pierce as well as bake ten more than earlier filling).
- If you want a richly gilded chocolate-brown crust you tin can brush amongst egg launder (whisk ane egg with ane/two Tbsp water too brush over crust amongst a pastry brush). You can fifty-fifty make this with the blind baked option, only brush over gently later on yous take away the parchment newspaper together with pie weights before the instant baking.
Pie Crust Recipe Ingredients You’ll Need
- Butter: Don’t effort to role margarine, shortening or lard here, it won’t go the same inwards this recipe.
- All-function flour: I recommend using unbleached flour. Bleached flour has a more pronounced flavor that would stand out here where then much flour is used without many other flavors to mask it.
- Salt: Just touchstone tabular array common salt is needed. If yous similar less salty crust role i/4 tsp if y'all prefer the criterion slightly overly salty crust use one/ii tsp. I prefer correct in the middle.
- Sugar: This volition encourage browning in addition to help tenderize the crust. Plus it adds a hint sweet of grade.
- Ice water: Just fill up a bowl amongst a fair sum of water ice then add together or so H2O (possibly almost 1 cup of each), residuum a patch or stir stir stir for a minute. Use the sum listed from the recipe below, you’ll have lots leftover.
Tools Needed to Make Pie Crust
- Pastry blender: This is used to cutting the butter into the flour. I favor the ones like this with a safe grip. Or you can role the nutrient processor option together with yous don’t ask a pastry blender.
- Kitchen scale: I recommend a kitchen scale for the almost accurate results, though measuring cups will function merely live certain to mensurate equally noted (using scoop together with degree method for the flour).
- Mixing bowl: It doesn’t ask to live anything fancy but something big enough to hold the book of ingredients alongside extra space for mixing. Something similar these.
- Rolling pivot: This type hither works peachy.
- Pie dish: I recommend a glass or metal pie dish. I purpose this measure size and this deeper dish. Ceramic pie dishes bear estrus slowly too don’t brown or prepare equally evenly.
- Pie weights: You tin can use the real bargain pie weights (you lot’d involve nearly 4 packs) or just role dry out beans or even carbohydrate. I usually merely go amongst dry beans.
How to Make Homemade Pie Crust from Scratch
- Whisk dry out ingredients: In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar in addition to table salt.
- Cut inward butter: Add butter too cutting into mixture using a pastry blender until in that location are pea size clumps of butter throughout alongside a few larger clumps of butter. I prefer to cut down inward the same surface area and so lift plough the bowl slightly in addition to repeat for more than uniformity.
- Moisten with H2O: Add water i Tbsp at a fourth dimension too toss very good between additions with a rubber spatula. You tin can even press the mixture together a fleck amongst the spatula every bit you toss.
- Only add plenty water for mixture to agree together when you lot clump a component of it with your mitt.
- Work dough together by mitt: Pour mixture out onto a make clean surface. Flatten too press mixture together and then crimp the mixture over itself in one case or twice (it won’t live a make clean process that’s fine, it’s merely a quick layering for more than flakiness).
- Shape into a smoothen round: Compress mixture into a round, and then flatten to nigh a 6-inch disk. Compress and polish cracks (you don’t desire cracks or these volition simply spread as yous whorl the dough out).
- Wrap as well as chill: Wrap amongst a canvas of plastic roll too chill one hr (or upward to ii days. If it chills longer than an hour let it residuum at room temperature for almost 10 minutes to soften enough to scroll).
- Roll dough into a big round: Remove from fridge and dust a clean run surface with a fair total of flour. Roll dough out to a 13-inch round, patch bringing cracks together equally you gyre.
- Transfer to pie pan, trim down edges: Roll dough up around a rolling pin (I like to dust away excess flour along the edges equally I roll it up) then transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Unroll the dough over the pie plate starting almost an inch beyond 1 border. Carefully press the pie dough downward into the pie plate to snuggly check along inner edge.
- Tuck edges nether and then decorate: Fold the excess dough along the outside edges nether itself and quickly press together. Flute edges every bit desired.
- Chill to until it’s firmed upwardly: Drape loosely amongst plastic roll to encompass and transfer to refrigerator. Chill at least one hr or upwardly to ii days.
What is Blind Baking a Pie Crust?
- Blind baking is a method of pre-baking a pie crust without whatsoever filling it. It tin can live fully baked or partially baked depending on the type of pie.
- A pie crust is commencement chilled in the pie pan to assistance gear up it then it doesn’t shrink equally much.
- Then it’s lined atop with parchment or foil as well as filled alongside weights, this helps proceed the pie crust from shrinking (such equally melting in addition to sliding into the center of the pie pan equally it bakes).
- It bakes this fashion for the bulk of the fourth dimension, so the parchment alongside the weights are removed and so the crust tin can dry out, dark-brown slightly, too bake fully uncovered.
How to Blind Bake Homemade Pie Crust
- If blind baking (such as for a cream pie), prepare oven rack in center together with preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a baking sheet inwards oven to preheat.
- Crumple upward a canvas of parchment paper (big plenty to encompass the pie), and then job the parchment paper along the interior of the pie crust. Fill alongside pie weights or almost 1 lb of dry out beans. Trim away excess parchment newspaper if it’second very high.
- Place crust on baking sheet inwards preheated oven as well as bake until edges are gilded chocolate-brown, virtually 25 to thirty minutes.
- Remove crust from oven so lift out the parchment paper with beans. Pierce crust nearly x times randomly along the bottom with a pairing knife.
- Return to oven together with bake until crust has dried together with is slightly gilt brown, near x to 15 minutes longer. Tent edges alongside a pie shield or a ring of heavy duty aluminum foil at any indicate every bit needed to forestall excess browning piece baking.
- Let crust cool on a wire rack before filling.
How to Make a DIY Pie Shield
- Before y'all existence baking the pie cutting out a 14 by fourteen-inch canvass of heavy duty aluminum foil.
- Place a criterion 9-inch pie plate inward the heart of the foil as well as purpose the pointed edge of shut pair of scissors to line a circle around the bottom edge of the pie dish (you lot tin do it but a piddling larger besides if needed).
- Cut the interior circle together with you lot’ve got a quick homemade pie shield.
- I’ve constitute this method plant meliorate than piecing together a foil call up from several sheets in addition to the heavy duty foil doesn’t tear every bit easy or blow about as tardily inward the oven.
- Cover your pie crust edges in one case they’ve browned to your liking amongst the foil call then crumple a few of the outer edges under to aid it rest inwards home.
Pie Dough Storage
- This pie crust dough will proceed wrapped inwards the plastic twine inwards the refrigerator for iii days earlier baking. Just balance at temperature for about 10 minutes before rolling (maybe v minutes if yous household is real warm).
- Or freeze wrapped inwards foil in together with an airtight container for upward to three months. Thaw overnight inward the fridge, and so residuum on the counter for x minutes before rolling.
Baked Pie Crust Storage
- A fully blind baked (unfilled) pie crust volition continue good at room temperature for nigh 3 to 4 days.
- Or freeze upward to one month good wrapped. Just be mindful of it’sec placement in the freezer as not to break it.
Tempting Pie Recipes to Try
Pie Crust Recipe + How to Blind Bake
The nigh delicious, flakiest, all butter pie crust! Recipe doubles well for 2 pie crusts (double all ingredients, inward stride v pour mixture out from mixing bowl as well as separate into two portions and keep alongside each footstep for each component separately.
Servings: eight (one unmarried layer crust)
Ingredients
- one ane/four cups (178g) unbleached all-function flour (scoop in addition to sweep to mensurate)
- ane Tbsp (12g) granulated saccharide
- 1/ii tsp (scant) salt
- x Tbsp (141g) unsalted butter, really cold, cutting into cubes almost ane/ii-inch
- 3 to four ane/ii Tbsp water ice water
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, sugar and salt.
- Add butter together with cut into mixture using a pastry blender until there are pea size clumps of butter throughout amongst just about larger clumps of butter.
- Add water 1 Tbsp at a fourth dimension too toss good between additions with a safety spatula. You tin fifty-fifty press the mixture together a flake amongst the spatula equally you lot toss.
- Only add together enough water for mixture to concur together when yous clump a part of it with your manus.
- Pour mixture out onto a make clean surface. Flatten as well as press mixture together and then crimp the mixture over itself one time or twice (it won't be a make clean procedure that'sec fine, it'second merely a quick layering for more than flakiness).
- Compress mixture into a circular. Then flatten to well-nigh a vi-inch disk. Compress too smooth cracks (you don't want cracks or these will but spread larger equally y'all curl the dough out).
- Wrap alongside a sail of plastic wrap and chill i hr (or upwards to 2 days. If it chills longer than an hr allow it residuum at room temperature for almost ten minutes to soften plenty to coil).
- Remove from fridge in addition to dust a clean work surface generously amongst flour. Roll dough out to a 13-inch round, spell pinching whatsoever cracks along the edges together as you whorl.
- Roll dough upwards about a rolling pivot (I similar to dust away excess flour along the edges as I coil it upward) and so transfer to a nine-inch pie plate.* Unroll the dough over the pie plate starting well-nigh an inch beyond i border. Carefully press the pie dough downwardly into the pie plate to snuggly gibe along inner edge.
- Leave about 1-inch excess dough about the lip (outermost edge) of pie plate patch trimming excess that'sec over an inch, peculiarly where uneven.
- Fold the excess dough along the edges nether itself and chop-chop press together. Flute edges equally desired (with your fingers or a tins of a fork).
- Drape loosely with plastic twine to encompass in addition to transfer to fridge. Chill at least 1 hour or upwards to 2 days. Use equally directed in your pie recipe.
- If blind baking (such equally for a cream pie or other no bake filling), set up oven rack inwards eye of oven in addition to preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place a baking sheet inwards oven to preheat.
- Crumple upwards a canvass of parchment newspaper (large enough to comprehend the pie), then business the parchment paper along the interior of the pie crust. Fill alongside pie weights or virtually one lb of dry out beans. Trim away tall excess parchment newspaper.
- Place crust on baking sail inwards preheated oven together with bake until edges are golden brownish too sides of crust are starting to dry, near 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove crust from oven then lift out the parchment newspaper with beans. Pierce crust most 10 times along the bottom alongside a pairing knife.
- Return to oven in addition to bake until crust has dried together with is slightly gilded brown, near ten to xv minutes longer. Tent edges amongst a pie shield or a call of heavy duty aluminum foil at any indicate every bit needed to foreclose excess browning patch baking.
- Let crust cool on a wire rack before filling.
Notes
- *I recommend a glass or metallic pie dish. I use this this touchstone size too this deeper dish.
- Note that every oven browns a petty differently. Your crust may not end upwardly quite equally golden brown and that'sec fine every bit long as it's baked and dried through together with crisp.
- The dough tin can besides live made inwards the nutrient processor. Just be real mindful of the size of the butter equally every model is different you don't desire to pulse it inwards besides much. It should all the same be visible by the end of mixing.
FOOD PROCESSOR DIRECTIONS
- Add flour, carbohydrate in addition to table salt to a medium food processor (I purpose 7 cup size). Pulse v seconds.
- Add half of the ane/ii-inch butter cubes and pulse in 1-instant bursts viii times. Add remaining half of the butter as well as pulse until they are near 1/3-inch, about xv to twenty (i-minute) bursts.
- Drizzle inward H2O ane Tbsp at a time, adding solely plenty equally needed together with pulsing near three quick times afterward each addition.
- If you tin clump a component part of the dough together together with it holds y'all've added enough H2O.
- Dump dough on clean surface in addition to keep as directed inwards footstep five.
Nutrition Facts
Pie Crust Recipe + How to Blind Bake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 212
Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 9g56%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Cholesterol 38mgxiii%
Sodium 122mgfive%
Potassium 28mgi%
Carbohydrates 18ghalf-dozen%
Fiber 1giv%
Sugar 2gtwo%
Protein 2giv%
Vitamin A 438IUix%
Calcium 8mgane%
Iron 1mghalf-dozen%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See total disclaimer here.