Christie C. A buttery, flakey pie crust is absolute heaven. I can imagine it now, a warm, buttery chunk with a mouthful of apple pie filling. This pie crust wins my family over each time. I father always says the pie crust would make my great grandmothers proud! So, here is how you can make it home.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- Buttery flavor
- Flakey pastry
- Versatile and good for ANY pie filling
- Only 6 ingredients
- Enough dough for a large double crust pie
Flakey Pie Crust
Using a combination of butter and shortening helps to both stabilize the crust so that it is easier to shape and keep flakey while it bakes. My favorite shortening to use is Nutiva Shortening, which is a blend of red palm and coconut oil.
The secret to keeping the crust flakey is to use cold butter and shortening while also keeping the dough cold while preparing it. Keep the butter and shortening in the fridge until ready to use. After all of the ingredients have kneaded together, keep the dough chilled in the fridge until ready to roll.
Using a French rolling pin will help to make the pie pastry even while rolling it out. A rolling pin with handles can easily snag and tear on the dough.
Par Baking to Prevent “Soggy Bottoms”
“Soggy bottoms” have been popularized with the Great British Bake-Off. It is a real problem when baking pies with very wet fillings. Wet fillings are any pie filling that has high liquid content. This is especially common for pies that use custards or use super juicy fruit.
Par baking is done by lining your pie dish with the chilled pastry, then probing the bottoms with a fork to prick the crust. Then, line the top of the pie with parchment paper and fill the parchment paper with pie weights or dry beans. Personally, I do not use pie weights since a bag of dry beans costs less than $2.00 and does the job just fine.
If you are using this crust with a cream or custard filling or to create tarts, par baking is essential.
Pies to make
This pie crust recipe is good for virtually ANY pie flavor. I have had success using the same crust to create apple pie, cherry pie, peach pie, chicken pot pie, curry pie, and quiche.
MORE RECIPES LIKE THIS
Mini Strawberry Shortcake Sheet Cake
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Homemade Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 8 oz (226g) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- 6 oz (170g) shortening, chilled in the refrigerator
- 4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp (30g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 8 tbsp ice water
Instructions
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Add all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and whisk until everything is fully incorporated.
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Add the chilled butter and shortening to the bowl and cut the butter into the flour mixture with a fork until the dough becomes crumbly.
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Knead the pie dough and add ice water a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together into a mound. Only add as much ice water as you need to get the dough to stick together. Some leftover pieces of butter and shortening is acceptable and needed.
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Roll the kneaded dough into a ball and wrap it into plastic wrap or reusable storage wrap.
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Chill the dough in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours, or overnight. The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months.
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When ready to use, take the crust out of the refrigerator, unwrap it, and gently pound it into a flat disc on a floured surface with a rolling pin.
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To roll out the dough, start from the middle of the disc, and roll the dough out in each direction. Keep any visible pieces of butter and shortening.
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Use dough as desired in your recipe.
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