Find out how the tips you need to know to make the perfect crust for your next pie, plus get the fail-proof recipe using just a few simple ingredients.
COOK + BAKE | Published June 16, 2014
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Most people either consider themselves to be great at making pie crust or think they can't do it well at all. While making crust can be tricky, your ability lies more in the recipe itself and what is done with the dough rather than any skills that you might or might not possess.
There are some recipes that turn out drier than others. Some don't seem to make quite enough dough to fill the pie tin or allow enough extra to make a beautiful edge on your crust. And if the dough isn't chilled properly, it could shrink when the crust is put in the oven to bake, ruining anything decorative that was done with the pastry.
After many experiments with different recipes, I believe that I may have finally found the best recipe yet for pie crust. It is fairly simple to make, rolls out nicely, and makes more than enough dough for two 9-inch pie crusts.
PIE RECIPES YOU MIGHT ENJOYRustic Apple Cranberry Pie - perfect for fall and Christmas dessertsBlueberry Pie with a Twisted Lattice CrustTHERE ARE TWO IMPORTANT TIPS TO REMEMBER WHEN MAKING ANY PIE CRUST
The most important rule is to make the pie crust cold.
ALL of your ingredients, not just the butter, should be cold. Before preparing this recipe you'll need to stick everything including the flour and water into the refrigerator for at least half an hour. Having everything cold keeps the butter from melting while processing. When your dough is done, you should still be able to see chunks of butter remaining.
The other tip when making pie crust is to not over-mix the pastry.
Process the ingredients just enough to incorporate everything, but no more. If the dough is overworked, it will get overly firm and could shrink when baked.
So let's get busy making some crust....
MUST HAVE PIE CRUST RECIPE
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, cold and cut into little pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
How to Make Pie Crust
- Add the flour (learn more about how to properly measure dry ingredients), chunks of butter, salt, and sugar in to afood processor. Process the ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse oatmeal. This can also be done by hand with a pastry blender.
- Add 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of water very slowly and pulse the food processor a few times. The dough is ready if it holds together when squeezed but is still able to be crumbled apart.Divide the dough into two and form each half into a flat round wrapped in plastic wrap.
- Chill the dough for at least an hour in the refrigerator before attempting to roll it out.
- When you are ready to make your crust, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Be sure to also lightly flour therolling pinand dough so that nothing sticks. You must keep moving the pastry around so that it doesn't stick. Also, as you roll you should apply pressure to the rolling pin in only one direction. Do not press as you roll the pin backwards. Your dough should roll out easily and maintain a round shape.
- If it starts to crack or break when you begin rolling, wait a minute for the dough to warm up just slightly. If it starts to stick, then the dough is too warm and needs to go back into the refrigerator.
- When the dough forms a circle that is a little more than an inch wider than yourpie dishall around, fold it in half, and then in half again to transfer it to your baking dish without ripping. Gently press the crust down into the dish, but do not stretch it to fit.
- Trim the pastry around the edges withkitchen scissorsto be just a little larger than the rim of your dish.
- Fold the excess dough under the crust to make it thicker around the edges. Use the pointer and middle finger of one hand and the thumb of your other hand to press and form a ruffled edge.
- Put the crust back into the refrigerator for an hour before filling with your pie ingredients and baking. It should also be placed into the refrigerator at any point that you think the dough is getting too soft while forming the crust.
And that is it! I have no doubt that you'll end up with a beautiful and tasty crust perfect for any pie!
Now that you have the recipe and technique for making the perfect crust, put your skills to the test by makingblueberry pie with a twisted lattice crust. It is an easy dessert you'll make again and again!
FAQs
Cold butter is the key to flaky crusts. Do not skip this step. You must put your butter in the freezer to get it nice and cold. Many people do not like working with frozen butter, but it makes all the difference in the world when you create your pie dough.
Is the best pie crust made with butter or shortening? ›
Shortening is better at crumbly crust, butter is better at flaky. But you can get either from both. There are obvious differences in flavor, and butter can give you a very nice chewiness in a crust while still being tender. Butter also tends to shrink and lose shape/detail more when it bakes.
Should pie dough have chunks of butter? ›
Leaving irregular pieces of butter in the mix will help create flaky layers during baking. Almost every pie dough recipe calls for too little liquid to bring it together.
Do you butter a pie crust before baking? ›
Pie and tart doughs have so much butter in them that they almost self-grease as they bake. The butter melts and turns into steam and browns the bottoms making them crispy. If you add more grease into that situation, the texture of your pie crust may change in the oven. So you definitely don't want to overdo it.
What are 3 tips for making pie crust? ›
Use this list of simple tips, from choosing the best ingredients to using the proper technique, to turn out a perfect pie crust every time.
- Use Very Cold Butter or Fat. ...
- Retain Some Chunks. ...
- Limit the Water. ...
- Make a Disk. ...
- Chill the Dough. ...
- Roll the Dough, Turn the Dough. ...
- Think Curbs, Not Driveways. ...
- Let the Dough Fall Into the Pan.
Below are six common mistakes when making a homemade pie crust and some helpful solutions to avoid them.
- The ingredients are too warm. ...
- The pie dough is overworked from excessive mixing or rolling. ...
- The pie dough isn't given enough time to relax and chill. ...
- The pie dough is shrinking down the sides of the pan.
Yes, you can use shortening as the fat in a pie crust recipe. Shortening creates a flakier crust than butter, but the flavor won't be as good. To improve the flavor, add an egg, a little apple cider vinegar and sugar.
Why is butter not recommended in the preparation a pie dough? ›
The additional moisture in butter contributes to tough pastry dough if overworked during mixing, and the low melting point of 94°F allows the fat to melt into the flour as it is worked, changing the texture of the finished crust.
What are some disadvantages of using butter in pie dough? ›
Cons of Butter Pie Crust:
This pie crust dough can be a little more difficult to make, because the cold butter takes a little extra effort to work into the flour than shortening or lard. But we think it's worth the extra elbow grease!
What happens if you put too much butter in dough? ›
Too much butter will result in a very soft, sticky dough that's difficult to shape, and bakes up greasy and dense.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using butter in a pie crust? Advantages : excellent flavor and forms distinct flaky layers. Disadvantages: Expensive and butter melts easy bettween 82.5 and 96.8 degrees F. It takes more time to make pastry because it must be refrigerated.
Why is butter the best choice for pie dough? ›
Another advantage of butter is that it creates a flaky crust. Butter “gives you the flakiness that no other fat can give you,” De Sa Martins said. That's because “during the baking process, the water found in butter releases steam and separates the layers within the crust,” she explained.
Should you use cold or frozen butter for pie crust? ›
When it comes to pie dough, keeping the butter as cold as possible is the key to achieving that gold-medal worthy flakiness. Once you've rolled out and folded your pie dough, those distinct bits of butter will steam as the dough bakes, creating the pockets of air that puff up into distinct layers.
How long to bake pie crust at 350? ›
If your recipe doesn't have instructions and you're wondering how long to pre bake the pie, here's what I do: I pre bake the prepped pie crust at 350°F. If the crust is homemade from scratch, I pre bake for 35 minutes. If the crust is store-bought, I pre bake for 30 minutes.
What does adding vinegar to pie crust do? ›
Vinegar is very acidic, and that acidity is thought to slow the development of gluten in dough.
How long should you chill pie dough before rolling out? ›
I always chill my dough for at least 2 hours before rolling out, and then chill again for at least 1 hour after shaping in the pie pan. There are undoubtedly faster methods out there, but this is what I've found to work best for me in terms of maintaining pretty crimps and the overall shape of the crust.
