Pie Crust

5 from 3 votes

This homemade pie crust recipe is simple to make and results in a flaky texture and a delicious pie once you add your juicy filling.

Prep Time30

Cook Time0

Chill Time30

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pie crust recipe

Servings: single pie crusts

Calories: 1297kcal

Ingredients

2½ cups all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons salt
¼ cup vegetable shortening, butter flavored
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold
6 to 10 tablespoons water, with ice cubes in it

Instructions

Measure your flour by gently spooning it into a measuring cup and then sweeping off any excess using the back of a butter knife. Add the measured flour and salt to a medium mixing bowl. Whisk together to combine.
Add the shortening, working it into the flour until the mixture is crumbly using a pastry cutter. It should resemble coarse sand and be thoroughly combined.
Cut the butter into small cubes (cut each tablespoon into 4 pieces). Add the butter to the flour mixture and toss to cover the pieces with flour. Quickly work it into the mix with a pastry cutter or your hands breaking apart the pieces of butter and continuing to toss in the flour.
The mixture should be somewhat uneven, with bigger chunks of butter mixed in with the smaller pieces (bits of butter help your crust come out more flaky and delicious, so it’s okay to have some chunks throughout the mix).
Drizzle 4 tablespoons of ice cold water over the mixture (I ended up using 8 tablespoons). Toss gently to combine. Add only enough additional tablespoon of water to make it hold together when you gather it up and squeeze it in your hand (you don’t want to knead your dough or add too much water as this will create a tougher crust).
Transfer the mixture to a piece of parchment paper. Loosely shape the dough into a rectangle about 15x7 or so. Fold the right side toward the middle for about one-third. Then fold the left side toward the middle. It should resemble a business letter in shape. If needed, spray a little bit of cold water on any dry areas.
Flatten and fold again, repeating this process until it has been incorporated. (folding the dough in this way will create more flaky layers in your crust). Make sure not to handle the dough too much with your hands as they will heat up the dough and melt the butter.
Divide the dough in half. Shape each piece of dough into a round disk. Roll the edges of the round disk along a lightly floured cutting board to smooth out the sides, kind of like rolling a wheel. The smoother you can get your edges now, the smoother and more round your pie crust will be when it is rolled out.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes (this dough can be refrigerated overnight).
When the dough is done refrigerating, remove it from the refrigerator. Allow it to warm just a bit if chilled longer than 30 minutes (a few minutes will do). When it is soft enough to roll, place the dough crust on a lightly floured surface. (I used lightly floured parchment paper that I turned after a few rolls, I put the corner of the parchment paper between my leg and the counter to keep it from moving.)
Roll from the center outward, one piece at a time. It should roll out to be about 13 inches round. If the crust cracks, gently push it back together, dipping your finger in water to smooth it out.
Lay your pie pan upside down on the dough to see if it is rolled out enough for the pan. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the dough in a circle a few inches away from the pie pan. Discard the dough or cut cute little shapes to bake on the pie or separate.
Lightly grease your pie dish with cooking spray.
You now have a big circle of dough. Fold the dough in half to make a half circle, then in half again. Place this in your prepared pie dish.
If making a single crust pie that has a filling that needs to bake like pumpkin or custard then using a sharp knife “dot” the bottom of the crust in a few spots, not slits but just tiny holes. Fill with your filling and bake per pie instructions.

Notes

For pies that the filling isn’t to be baked, lemon meringue, etc. Prebake the pie crust.
For two-crust pies, start here. Gently transfer your rolled-out pie crust to the dish. Add canned pie filling right away, or if making a filling, tent the pie crust and place it in the fridge until ready to fill.
Once the pie filling has been added, fold the edges under themselves. This will ensure you have a nice thick crust that will stand up when serving.
Repeat the steps and roll out the remaining dough for your top crust.
Place the top crust over the pie filling and trim the edges to ½ inch of the edge if hanging over. Roll sides under. Crimp the edges of the pie crust into the desired shape. Make sure to vent the top of the pie by making a series of 3” to 4” parallel cuts on the top of the crust. Feel free to be as decorative as you’d like. I love the lattice look myself!
Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 425°F. Remove the baking sheet when the oven comes to temperature and place the pie dish directly on the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven on the lowest rack. Bake the pie at 425°F for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 60 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown. Check the pie when it has about 10-15 minutes left. If it’s already browned, then tent it with foil and allow it to cook for the remaining time.
Cool the pie to allow the filling to set up. If you want the pie to slice cleanly without oozing the filling everywhere, allow it to cool completely before serving. The pie will take a few hours to cool completely.
If the edges of your crust are browning too quickly, use strips of foil wrapped around the edges, or use pie shields while baking.
Bits of butter help your crust come out more flaky and delicious, so it’s okay to have some chunks throughout the mix.
Make sure not to handle the dough too much with your hands as they will heat up the dough and melt the butter.

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