Video: How To Make Perfect Pie Crust
There are many different ways to make a pie crust. Every baker I know seems to have their favorite recipe or trick. The most classic pie or pastry crust is made with butter. That one can take some practice to master, because if you handle it too much it will end up tough. A more forgiving pie crust is one that is made with a mixture of butter and shortening. That way you get the flavor of the butter, with the easy flakiness that comes from using shortening. Some people use all vegetable oil, and some swear by lard. One of my favorite ways to make a pie crust these days is to use sour cream as the fat, along with butter. No need for a food processor; the dough is easy to roll-out, and the crust is wonderfully flaky. The following are instructions for making 1) a basic butter crust (pâte brisée) for sweet and savory pies and tarts, 2) a pre-baked pie crust needed for dishes such as quiche, 3) a combination butter and shortening crust, and 4) an egg wash finish for the pie. The instructions will yield enough dough for 1 10-inch pie with a crust top, or 2 10-inch topless pies or tarts. If you are making a tart or just a pie bottom, cut all ingredients in half.
Pies to Make Using This Crust!
Classic Apple Pie Lemon Meringue Pie Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie Easy Chocolate Cream Pie
As a variation, swap out 1/2 cup of the flour with ground blanched almonds or almond flour.
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for rolling 1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
Combination Butter and Shortening Crust
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons sugar 3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/4 inch cubes 1/2 cup vegetable shortening 8 tablespoons ice water
Egg Wash
1 tablespoon heavy cream, half and half, or milk 1 large egg yolk
The mixture is ready when a small handful of the crumbly dough holds together when you pinch it with your fingers. Divide the dough mixture into two even-sized mounds. Use your hands and knead each mound just enough to form each one into a disc. Do not over-knead! Kneading develops gluten which will toughen the dough, not something you want in a pastry crust. You should just knead enough so that the dough holds together without cracks. If you started with cold butter you should be able to see small chunks of butter speckling the dough. This is a good thing. These small bits of butter will spread out into layers as the crust cooks so you have a flaky crust! Sprinkle each disc with a little flour, wrap each one in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for one hour or up to 2 days. Carefully place onto a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish. Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork. Score the top of the pie with four 2-inch long cuts, so that steam from the cooking pie can escape.
Combination Butter and Shortening Crust
Egg Wash
A lovely coating for a pie can be achieved with a simple egg wash. Preheat your oven to 350°F. See more detailed instructions and photos for how to blind bake a crust here. Add shortening in tablespoon sized chunks, and pulse 4 more times. The mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal, with butter bits no bigger than peas. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of ice water over flour mixture. Pulse a couple times. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it’s ready. If the dough doesn’t hold together, keep adding water, a teaspoon at a time, pulsing once after each addition, until the mixture just begins to clump together. Divide the dough into 2 balls and flatten each into 4 inch wide disks. Do not over-knead the dough! Dust the discs lightly with flour, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to 2 days before rolling out. Sprinkle a little flour on a flat, clean work surface and on top of the disc of dough you intend to roll out. (We use a Tupperware pastry sheet that has the pie circles already marked.) Using a rolling pin, apply light pressure while rolling outwards from the center of the dough. Every once in a while you may need to gently lift under the dough (a pastry scraper works great for this) to make sure it is not sticking. You have a big enough piece of dough when you place the pie tin or pie dish upside down on the dough and the dough extends by at least 2 inches all around. Before scoring, you may want to paint the top of your crust with an egg wash (this will make a nice finish).
