My Favorite Pie Crust Recipe
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With this simple recipe, making a tender and flaky homemade pie crust is totally doable, even for beginners!
This is my go-to pie crust recipe. It has a buttery flavor and tender, flaky texture. The dough is relatively easy to work with and roll out, and it holds its shape in the oven. The recipe only requires a few ingredients, and if you follow the steps, making a delicious homemade pie crust is totally doable, even for beginners.
What You’ll Need To Make Pie Crust
Some pie crust recipes call for all butter; some call for all shortening, lard or oil; and some call for a combination of fats. I like to use a blend of butter and shortening. The butter lends delicious flavor and flakiness, while the shortening makes the dough easy to work with and also helps it hold its shape. It’s important that the butter and shortening are both very cold. (I keep them in the fridge until I’m ready to add them.)
As for the dry ingredients, in addition to all-purpose flour and salt, I like to add a bit of baking powder to my homemade pie crust. It helps the crust expand into the pan, rather than shrink and slip down the sides as it bakes (a genius tip from pastry chef Nick Malgieri).
How to make pie crust
To begin, combine the flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade.
Add the cold butter and shortening in pieces.
Pulse until you have coarse crumbs with lots of pea and chickpea-sized clumps of butter and shortening within. Don’t overprocess the dough: all of those clumps of fat steam in the oven, creating layers in the pastry that make a flaky crust.
Add ice cold water and pulse a few times until the mixture is just evenly moistened and very crumbly. It will not come together into a mass — that’s good!
Dump the crumbly dough out onto a work surface. (I know this looks all wrong, but have faith!)
Gather it into a ball.
Then pat the dough into a 5-inch disc. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes or up to 3 days to rest. Allowing the dough to rest helps the gluten relax and also ensures that dough stays chilled — both important in making a tender, flaky crust.
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and dust your work surface lightly with flour. Place the dough on top and sprinkle a little flour over the dough.
Use your hands to quickly knead the dough into a soft and malleable disc (don’t overwork it; you want it just supple enough to roll).
Roll the dough, turning it frequently and adding more flour as necessary so it doesn’t stick, into a 13-inch circle.
Fold the dough into quarters without creasing it and transfer it to a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan (the pan should be at least 1-1/2 inches deep).
Gently fit the dough into the pan, easing it inwards rather than stretching it outwards. Don’t worry if it tears, just patch it right back up.
Trim the edges to 1/2-inch beyond the lip of the pie pan, if necessary. Turn the edges under to create a rim on the crust (you can use the scraps to patch in any thin areas); then press the rim against the lip of the pan, forming it into an even edge as you go. Using your fingers, crimp the rim.
Place the crust in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before proceeding with your recipe.
If your crust requires blind baking: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the crust from the refrigerator and cover with a piece of parchment paper. Fill the crust at least halfway full with dried beans or pie weights.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is pale and partially cooked. Remove the parchment and dried beans/pie weights and then proceed with your pie recipe.
That’s all there is to it. Happy pie baking!
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My Favorite Pie Crust Recipe
With this simple recipe, making a tender and flaky homemade pie crust is totally doable, even for beginners!
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled with a knife
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- 6 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, sliced into ¼-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons very cold vegetable shortening, in 3 pieces
- 4 tablespoons very cold water
Instructions
- Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process for 5 seconds to blend.
- Add the butter and shortening. Pulse until you have coarse crumbs with lots of pea-sized clumps of butter and shortening within, 15 to 20 one-second pulses.
- Add the water and pulse until the mixture is just evenly moistened and very crumbly, 7 to 10 one-second pulses.
- Dump the crumbly dough out onto a work surface and gather it into a ball.
- Pat the dough into a 5-inch disc and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes or up to 3 days to rest.
- Take the dough out of the refrigerator and dust your work surface lightly with flour. Place the dough on top and sprinkle a little flour over the dough. Use your hands to quickly knead the dough into a soft and malleable disc (don’t overwork it; you want it just supple enough to roll).
- Roll the dough, turning it frequently and adding more flour as necessary so it doesn’t stick, into a 13-inch circle.
- Fold the dough into quarters without creasing it and transfer it to a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan.
- Gently fit the dough into the pan, easing it inwards rather than stretching it outwards. Don’t worry if it tears, just patch it right back up.
- Trim the edges to ½-inch beyond the lip of the pie pan, if necessary. Turn the edges under to create a rim on the crust (you can use the scraps to patch in any thin areas); then press the rim against the lip of the pan, forming it into an even edge as you go. Using your fingers, crimp the rim. Place the crust in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, and then proceed with your pie recipe.
- If your crust requires blind baking: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the crust from the refrigerator and cover with a piece of parchment paper. Fill the crust at least halfway full with dried beans or pie weights. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is pale and partially cooked. Remove the parchment and dried beans/pie weights and proceed with your pie recipe.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The pie crust dough can be frozen for up to 3 months after you’ve formed it into a disc. Wrap it tightly in a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil. Before using, thaw the dough in the fridge overnight and then proceed with the recipe.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (10 servings)
- Calories: 163
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Sugar: 0 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 72 mg
- Cholesterol: 18 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made this pie crust was easy enough. My issue was I left in refrigerated for about an hour and half. I worked it a little but it kept breaking apart. What did I do wrong.? I just patched crust together.
It sounds like it may have been a little dry. If you experience this again, try adding water, bit by bit until it gets to a workable texture.
I have struggled with insisting on making my own pie crust and hating the process. I have tried every recipe I run across and always end up having to piece my crust in frustration. This as a breeze! I’m so grateful to find The Right One! They’re all so similar and simple but this one just works. No more searching and putting pies crust off till the last minute. Thank you, Jen for all the hours of testing you put in to getting your recipes right. They are foolproof.
Hi Jenn, I accidentally over processed the dough. Should I just dump it and start over? Also, is it okay to use European butter or better to use American style? Thank you.
Hi Sally, I would start over. Sorry!!
Thanks Jenn, that’s what I thought but wanted to confirm. I’ve made it properly before and it is perfect.
Hi Jen,
Love this crust recipe with the pumpkin pie recipe! I’m making it again, but a friend is allergic to gluten. Is there an alternative for this crust to make it gluten-free that you know of?
Thank you!
Hi Kelsey, Glad you like the crust! I haven’t made this with gluten-free flour, so I can’t say for sure. but if you want to give it a try I know a lot of readers have had great luck baking with Cup4Cup and King Arthur’s all-purpose gluten-free flours. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
I love this recipe! For me it is foolproof. I always double it, and freeze one disc in a ziplock baggie. The dough is easy to work, the crust comes out flaky, every time. I used to use Pillsbury pie crust, but this is so simple and 10x’s tastier.
Will this recipe work using gluten free 1:1 all purpose flour?
Hi Susan, I’ve never made this with gluten-free flour so it’s hard to say for sure — I’m sorry! If you try it, I’d love to hear how it comes out. 🙂