Homemade Pie Crust

Homemade Pie Crust so flaky and buttery everyone will ask how! With lots of tips and tricks – this is the only recipe you need!

Making Pie Crust from scratch can seem pretty daunting – but I promise that it’s easier than you might think. This pie crust recipe with butter and shortening creates something so flaky and buttery; I have also included a ton of helpful tips to help you on your pie-making journey. The recipe makes enough for a double pie crust; I love it for my favorite Berry Pie! So if you only need the bottom crust, you can freeze the second crust for another day (or pie). 

HOMEMADE PIE CRUST
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I absolutely love pies. And what’s not to enjoy with a juicy fruit filling and an extra flaky pastry? But for the longest time, I shied away from making pies. I wasn’t sure if I had the skills to make a pie crust from scratch, and it always seemed like there was a lot of room for errors when making a crust.

It turns out though that homemade pie crust isn’t too hard. The ingredients are simple – but it’s all about the technique. A few essential tips will go a long way to help you make a perfectly flaky pie crust.

Pie Crust Ingredients

• all-purpose flour
• white sugar
• salt
• unsalted butter, but into small pieces
• shortening (such as Crisco)
• ice cold water

You’ll notice that this easy pie crust recipe is made with both butter and shortening. Some pie crust recipes use all butter, and some use all shortening. Then there are some recipes (like this one) that use both. Butter makes the pie crust extra flavorful, whereas shortening is a little easier to work with and makes the pie crust extra flaky. I like to use a combination of both butter and shortening because I find that it gives the best of both worlds – buttery and flaky.

How to make Pie Crust from scratch

• Cut the butter into small pieces, then pop it in the freezer for 15-30 minutes before getting started. Cold butter makes the pie crust flakier.
• First whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. This step ensures that the salt and sugar become evenly distributed throughout the pie dough.
• Use a pastry cutter (or 2 forks) to cut the butter and shortening into the dry ingredients. You want to work the fats into the flour until it’s in pieces that are pea-sized or smaller. It will be crumbly (and not look like dough yet).
• Gently stir in the ice cold water 1 tablespoon at a time. You want the dough to start to form large clumps – but it shouldn’t be sticky. If the dough feels sticky, you’ll need to add in a little extra flour. But be careful here because adding too much extra flour will make the dough tough.
• Make sure that your water is ice cold. Remember cold ingredients = flakier pie crust.
• Then transfer the dough to a floured surface, and form it into a large ball. You should be able to incorporate all the flour from the bottom of your bowl into the pie dough, but it shouldn’t feel wet or sticky.
• Be careful not to overwork the dough as you form it into a ball. Overworking the dough can make the pie crust tough.
• Then divide the dough in half, and form each into a round disc about 1/2 inch thick.
• Chilling the dough is necessary. You’ll wrap each disc of dough in plastic wrap, then pop into the fridge for at least 3 hours.

When you’re ready to make your pie, take the dough out of the fridge about 10 minutes before you’re ready to roll it out. You want your dough to have specks of butter and shortening in it – this makes the pie flaky and delicious and shows that you haven’t overworked it. Always roll out the pie dough on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Go gently here, making a 1/8 turn of the dough after each roll.

How to crimp a pie crust

Crimping the edges will always add a fun element to your pie crust since you have the freedom to make whatever design your heart desires. The practical reason why we crimp the crust is to aid in holding up the edges of single crust pies, so they don’t sink inward and create an issue for the delicious filling, like falling out!

The classic scallop is probably the easiest to master; it’s just the traditional pinch slightly using your thumb and index finger with one hand and us the index finger of your second hand to push the edge back into your thumb and index finger of the first hand. Easy right!? Some other fun ways are to use tools such as a spoon or fork to press the edges together or even the shape of a cookie cutter. The possibilities are abundant, especially when it comes to your imagination.

Freezing Pie Dough

Pie dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days. This recipe will make enough for a 9-inch double crust pie. So if you only need 1 pie crust – like if you’re making pecan pie, you can pop the second dough disc in the freezer for up to 2 months. Then thaw in the fridge overnight.

Looking for my pie recipes? Try these other favorites:

• Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
• Pecan Pie
• Chess Pie
• Pumpkin Pie
• Lemon Meringue Pie
• More dessert recipes…

Mixing Bowl: This mixing bowl is perfect for mixing and serving. I love how big it is! I can use it for anything and everything.

Pastry Cutter: I love this Pastry Cutting set, it takes the guessing out baking and everything stores so easily. I feel like I’m creating in a bakery when I get to use this set.

Rolling Pin: I’ve always preferred a French-style rolling pin and this rolling pin has never let me down. Perfect for flattening anything and works easily with spacers for the perfect thickness.

Strawberry Pie