Consider this your go-to recipe for easy, delicious homemade pie crust. I know it's a little bold to call something "perfect" but as far as pie crust is concerned, this recipe yields the perfect pie crust! This is the type of recipe you can use all year long, again and again, but it's especially great for baking season. Perfect for pie-making connoisseurs or even someone who is just getting started with pie crust.
ingredients you'll need for this recipe
- all purpose flour
- sugar
- salt
- unsalted butter
- shortening
- ice cold water
tips for making pie crust from scratch
There's a few basic rules that apply to making sure your pie crust comes out perfectly, and I'm here to share them with you! Don't worry, pie crust is not hard, and that's coming for someone who used to be intimated by it. Below are the tips & tricks I go by to achieve perfect pie crust success.
- Use Cold Ingredients - This is crucial. It's really important for certain ingredients; such as butter, shortening & water to be really cold when you use them. Keeping the butter and shortening cold helps create flakiness and texture throughout the crust as it bakes, so don't overlook this. What I like to do in this case is I cut my butter and shortening into cubes about a 30 minutes before I'm ready to make the pie dough, place the cubes in a bowl and place them in the refrigerator to chill and take them out when I'm ready to use them. And as for ice cold water: measure out the water into a drinking glass and add ice cubes, this works like a charm!
- Chill Before Using - This piggybacks the importance of cold ingredients. Once you've got your pie dough assembled and shaped, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. With this particular recipe, you can let it chill for as little as 30 minutes and then use it or let it hang out in your fridge for a couple of days. If you're making pie crust ahead of time (like a week or so in advance) I recommend making the pie dough and freezing it. Simply remove it from the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before you need it.
- Use Pie Weights - If the recipe calls for you to bake the pie crust prior to adding the pie filling (also known as blind baking), pie weights are essential! They add extra weight to the pie dough to ensure that the crust bakes evenly and doesn't puff up from the bottom of the pie dish. You can use store bought pie weights or pantry staples like sugar or dried beans.
How to make pie crust from scratch
- Add flour, sugar, salt, butter and shortening to a food processor. Pulse the ingredients together until the butter and shortening are incorporated into the flour, with "pea" sized clumps of butter and flour throughout. Slowly add in the water while pulsing the dry ingredients. Once all the water is added and the pie dough starts to form, pulse a few more times until the dough is thick and has a tacky texture.
- Lay a piece of plastic wrap out on a work surface and place the pie dough on top of it. Lightly knead the dough together just for a minute and shape it into a disk. Then, cut the disk in half, and shape both halves into disks (for two crusts). Wrap the dough and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours. Pie dough can stay in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- When ready to use simply unwrap the pie dough and roll it out on a floured work surface. Carefully transfer the pie dough to the pie dish, gently pressing it into the dish to cover the bottom and sides. Trim and shape the crust as desired. Follow instructions of the pie recipe you're making!
Perfect Pie Crust
An easy, completely-from-scratch pie crust recipe that is perfect for any pie you're making. The combination of butter and shortening give this crust the perfect buttery flavor and flaky texture we all love in pie crust.
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Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 tbsp unsalted butter cubed, very cold
- ¼ cup shortening cubed, very cold
- ½ cup ice cold water
Instructions
- Before you make the pie dough it's super important that the butter, shortening and water is very cold. I highly recommend cutting the butter and shortening into cubes and keep it in the fridge for 30 minutes before you make the recipe. I also like to add the water to a cup with ice cubes to make sure it's really cold when I need it.
- Add flour, sugar, salt, butter and shortening to a food processor. Pulse the ingredients together until the butter and shortening are incorporated into the flour, with "pea" sized clumps of butter and flour throughout. Slowly add in the water while pulsing the dry ingredients. Once all the water is added and the pie dough starts to form, pulse a few more times until the dough is thick and has a tacky texture.
- Lay a piece of plastic wrap out on a work surface and place the pie dough on top of it. Lightly knead the dough together just for a minute and shape it into a disk. Then, cut the disk in half, and shape both halves into disks (for two crusts). Wrap the dough and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours. Pie dough can stay in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- When ready to use simply unwrap the pie dough and roll it out on a floured work surface. Carefully transfer the pie dough to the pie dish, gently pressing it into the dish to cover the bottom and sides. Trim and shape the crust as desired. Follow instructions of the pie recipe you're making!