Easy Pie Crust Recipe

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 20

Chill: 2

Total Time: 2 40

Servings: people

Calories: 214kcal

Author: Becky Hardin - Easy Dessert Recipes

This simple homemade pie crust recipe will help you take your baking up a notch. It's easy enough for beginners to follow, and you'll be using it time and time again.

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Equipment

Kitchen Scale (optional)
Food Processor
Rolling Pin
Pie Weights (optional)

Ingredients

1⅓ cups all-purpose flour 160 grams, divided
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar 4 grams, optional
6 tablespoons unsalted butter 85 grams, chilled and cubed (¾ stick)
¼ cup vegetable shortening chilled and cubed (¼ stick)
2 tablespoons cold water 28 grams, see note 1

Instructions

Add ⅔ of the flour, salt, and sugar into your food processor. Pulse 1-2 times to combine.
1⅓ cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Add the butter and shortening cubes evenly over the flour and pulse a couple of times until the dough starts coming together
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, ¼ cup vegetable shortening
Add the remaining flour and pulse 3-4 times until the dough starts to crumble and breaking apart again
Transfer the dough to a bowl, add the cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and press the dough with a spatula until it comes together into a ball (see note 2).
2 tablespoons cold water
Press the dough into a flat circle, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight (see note 3).
When it's time to bake, roll out the dough carefully on a lightly-floured surface, moving it in quarter circles with your hands while rolling it out. Sprinkle some flour on the surface when needed to prevent sticking. Roll it out around 2 inches bigger than your pan
Gently transfer the dough to the pan by adding some flour onto the surface and wrapping the dough carefully around your rolling pin
Press the dough into the pan carefully so it's sticking to the pan everywhere
Cut off excess overhanging dough with a sharp knife or some scissors, but leave around 1 inch of overhang.
Roll the overlapping inch under itself to create a firmer and rim.
Use your index finger and the index finger and thumb from the other hand to crimp the dough to form a scalloped edge (see note 4).
Chill the pie crust again for at least 15 minutes before going on.
If partially baking (blind baking), cook chilled pie crust at 425°F for 12-15 minutes without filling. You can use the pie weights as shown.
If fully cooking, start by blind baking, then fill with your filling, and cook at 375°F for 15-20 minutes.
If fully cooking WITHOUT blind baking, you can cook at 375°F for 45 minutes.

Notes

Note 1: Put an ice cube into the water to keep it ice-cold
Note 2: Don't add too much water, the dough should just come together. You should use anywhere from 2-4 tablespoons.
Note 3: It's important to not incorporate the fats too much into the flour, you want to see little fat speckles in the dough. These will cause the flakiness of the dough.
Note 4: Of course you can also form other crust patterns.
You can also prepare the dough by hand using a fork or a pastry cutter to evenly work the fats into the flour until you see pea size pieces of fat covered in flour.
It's very important that the ingredients are very cold. As soon as it gets slightly warm, it needs to get back to the fridge to chill again.
If the dough is too hard to roll out, let it sit on the counter for a couple of minutes. Too soft? Put it back into the fridge.
The food processor is doing the work of cutting the butter and shortening into the flour. You can do this by hand with a pastry cutter or two forks, but the food processor will save you some time (and energy).
Use baking beads/pie weights (or use dried beans) to blind bake the pie crust. These act as weights to hold down the dough, keep it from moving or slipping, and prevent it from puffing up while cooking.
Sprinkle your counter/surface with flour before rolling out the dough to prevent it from sticking.
Use just enough water to bring the dough together. Too much water, and you'll need to add more flour to make up for it (which will lead to a tough crust). Not enough water, and the dough will be dry and start to crack while rolling it out. The latter can be fixed as you go, the former can't. So be on the safe side when adding water, just a little at a time.
Ingredients and dough should be kept cold/chilled through this whole process. If things start getting warm, put it in the fridge to chill before continuing.
The scalloped or "crimped" pie crust is a simple design to start with as a beginner, but you can make any crust "design" you like with this dough.

Storage: Store pie crust pressed into a circle and wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store shaped pie dough or blind-baked crust in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freeze pie dough baked crust for up to 3 months.

Nutrition