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
Affiliate links are provided in this post for your convenience. For more information, you canview my disclosure policy.
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
Start with chilled ingredients
Butter creates a sturdy, crisp pie crust. For this, it is important to keep all ingredients cold which will inhibit the development of gluten in the flour. Use butter right out of the refrigerator and add ice-cold water to make the dough.
Is butter better for pie crust? ›
The pros: Butter has the best flavor. A butter pie crust forms light, lofty, flaky layers while it bakes. The flakiness comes partially from the water content of butter, which evaporates as the pie bakes and turns to steam, separating and puffing up the layers in dough.
Should you butter 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.
Should butter be cold when making pie crust? ›
In order to ensure that the finished crust is super flaky, pie crust always starts with cold butter. That way, the butter will remain in solid chunks in the dough that evaporate into layers during baking. Good!
What is the number 2 most important thing when making pie crust? ›
I like to use pastry flour because it contains less gluten than all-purpose flour and therefore creates a more tender crust, but all-purpose flour will work just fine if that's what you have on hand. The “2” is fat. Butter is the most common type of fat used, but other solid fats will work as well.
What not to do when making pie crust? ›
Whether you use a food processor, a stand mixer, or your hands to incorporate the ingredients together, overmixing is a common mistake that leads to a chewy crust. It's tempting when baking to combine the ingredients completely, but the texture should resemble a coarse meal before adding your liquid.
What brand of butter is best for pie crust? ›
Both Kerrygold and Plugra scored high when making pie dough and had a luscious mouthfeel when tasted solo. But overall, the flavor and creaminess of Kerrygold won because of it's (very) slight grassy taste.
Can I use butter instead of crisco for pie crust? ›
Can I substitute butter for shortening (or vice versa) in a recipe? The short answer is yes, butter and shortening can be used interchangeably in baked goods as one-to-one swap. However, results may differ depending on fat used because butter and shortening are two very different ingredients.
Why does butter leak out of pie crust? ›
Why does butter leak out of my pie crust? If a lot of butter is leaking from your pie crust, that means that the dough was too warm when you put it in the oven. It's important to keep butter cold when making your pie crust dough and to keep your pie dough cold right up until the moment it goes into the oven.
What is the most important rule in making a pie crust? ›
The most important step is cutting the cold fat into the flour. If you don't do this, you'll lose the flakiness, which, for me, makes pie worth every single calorie. The easiest way to do this is with a food processor. Add your flour and then your cold fat (cut up into smaller tablespoon-size chunks).
To maintain its shape during baking, pastry needs liquid to activate the flour's gluten. For flaky, tender texture, it also requires fat. The balance of those two ingredients is critical. Too much fat and the crust loses its structure and shrinks; too much liquid, it's hard and leathery.
When should I Prebake my pie crust? ›
You do not need to pre-bake a pie crust for an apple pie or any baked fruit pie really, but we do freeze the dough to help it stay put. Pre-baking the pie crust is only required when making a custard pie OR when making a fresh fruit pie.
What happens if you don't chill pie crust before baking? ›
Non-chilled crust is fairly crumbly and less smooth, which makes it harder to roll out and means it may not look as polished. It will brown more quickly and the final product will likely be tougher, heavier, and more doughy – none of those in a bad way. It will likely have a more intense, butter flavor.
Should pie crust have chunks of butter? ›
For a flaky crust, cut the butter so that chunks of butter about the size of walnut halves remain. The chunks of cold butter create the layers in the dough. When the butter melts in the oven, it will make steam pockets. Your crust will end up with a wonderfully flaky texture.
Why is my butter pie crust tough? ›
Tough pie crusts are typically the result of working the dough too much (again, gluten). You don't need to make sure it's a perfectly uniform ball. “As long as the dough is mostly holding together, you don't need to spend a lot of time kneading it,” Susan Reid wrote for King Arthur Baking.
What does adding vinegar to pie crust do? ›
But there are two much more important perks to using vinegar: it provides a little insurance against overworking the dough. And, that splash of vinegar will keep your dough from oxidizing and turning gray. Fresh All-Butter Pie Dough with vinegar (right) and without (left).
How long should you chill pie dough before rolling out? ›
Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, or up to overnight. Tip: Chilling hardens the fat in the dough, which will help the crust maintain its structure as it bakes. And the short rest before rolling relaxes the dough's gluten, helping prevent a tough crust.
What ruins a pie crust? ›
Overworking pie dough
You should always stick to kneading your pie dough just enough so that the flour and the butter are combined, but not so much so that your dough becomes elastic and hard to work. In hindsight, the easiest way to fix an overworked pie crust is to prevent overworking it in the first place.
