Flaky Pie Crust

5 from 1 vote

This pie crust is flaky and foolproof! Makes enough for 1 single crust pie dough (simply double the recipe for a double crust)

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time50

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: pie

Servings: servings

Calories: 182kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (177 g) all purpose flour *spooned and leveled
1 Teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening chilled
6 tablespoons unsalted butter frozen
3-5 tablespoons ice water

Instructions

Prepare your ice water for later use. I simply take a glass measuring cup and measure out about 1/2 cup of water and add a few ice cubes. Place this in the refrigerator to keep cold until ready to use.
In a mixing bowl, combine your flour, salt and sugar and whisk to combine. (If using a food processor, process until combined for about 5 seconds). Or you can do this in your stand mixer with your paddle attachment.
Scatter shortening over the top and using a fork (or pastry blender) work the shortening in until it resembles coarse crumbs. (For the food processor method, pulse for about 10 seconds). Or turn your hand mixer on until the shortening is pea-sized - about 30 seconds on medium.
Using a food grater, grate the butter into the bowl. If your hands are warming up the butter, use the butter wrapper to protect the butter. (For the food processor, cut the butter into 1/2 inch pieces first, then scatter over the top and pulse to combine about 10 pulses.). For the stand mixer: turn the mixer on medium for about 30 seconds. If there are still some large pieces, just simply squish those with your fingertips.
Take your ice water from the fridge. Add one tablespoon at a time and stir the dough after each addition. The dough will need about 4-6 tablespoons of water, but can vary. Once the dough begins to stick together, do not add any more water.
Turn dough onto sheet of plastic wrap and press the dough together into a round disc. Keeping the plastic wrap between your hands and the dough press the dough together. (I use my knuckles for this step to "smoosh" the dough together!). Wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to an hour.
When ready to roll out the dough, let the dough sit out for a few minutes to soften slightly.
Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured counter. Loosely roll the dough around the rolling pin and gently unroll into your 9-inch pie plate, allowing the excess dough to hang over the edge. Ease the dough into the pie plate by gently lifting the edge of the dough with one hand while pressing into the plate bottom with the other hand. Leave any dough that overhangs the plate in place.
Trim the excess dough to 1/2 inch beyond the lip of the plate. Tuck the overhand under itself. The folded should be flush with the edge of the pie plate. Crimp dough evenly around the edge of the pie using your fingers. Wrap the pie loosely in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or freezer for 30 minutes until firm.
For a partially baked crust: Line pie shell with aluminum foil, covering edges to protect from burning and fill with pie weights. Bake until pie dough looks dry and and is light in color about 22 to 25 minutes. About halfway through, remove the pie weights so the bottom of the pie crust can cook through and lose its "rawness". Transfer pie plate to wire rack and remove weights and foil. (Crust must still be warm when filling is added.)
For a fully baked crust: Line pie shell with aluminum foil, covering edges to protect from burning and fill with pie weights. Bake until pie dough looks dry and is light in color, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove weights and foil and continue to bake crust until deep golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes longer. Transfer pie plate to wire rack and let crust cool completely, about 1 hour.

Notes

If your dough is sticking you can always pop it back into the fridge. If your dough is breaking, it may be too dry. Add a few sprinkles of water to the dough.
This dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap refrigerated for up to 2 days, or frozen for up to a month.
If using frozen dough, let the dough thaw completely on the counter before rolling out.
If you are not sure if you have rolled the dough to the correct size, use your pie plate as a guide. Turn the pie plate upside down onto your dough. There should be about 3 inches extra in diameter of the dough.

Nutrition