How to Make Pie Crust

Deliciously flaky and incredibly easy, learning HOW TO MAKE PIE CRUST is as easy as, well, a pie! A great skill to know for making quick and beautiful dishes whether it's sweet or savory. Start mastering this art of making pie crust with this very simple recipe.

Course How To

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Chill Time 1

Total Time 1 15

Servings pie crusts

Calories 589kcal

Author Imma

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar (for sweet recipes, otherwise skip this ingredient)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (if using salted butter, skip this ingredient)
4 ounces shortening (very cold )
6 ounces unsalted butter (very cold ) , cubed
8- 12 tablespoons (about ½-¾ cup ) ice water

Instructions

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Then place in the freezer until ready to use. Place a large bowl in the fridge until ready to use.
Dice the butter and the shortening, if you can handle it (shortening might be too soft to dice), then return it to the fridge until ready to use.
Remove the large bowl from the fridge, then add the flour and sugar mixture. Quickly cut the butter and shortening into flour mixture with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about the size of peas. This will ensure that the pie is flaky and not dense.
If the mixture is too soft or the butter has softened up, return back to the fridge to firm up.
Slowly stir in 2 tablespoons of water at a time in the flour mixture and continue working the dough until it comes together, adding more water as needed.
Dump the pie dough out on a floured board. Knead the pie dough just lightly enough to ensure it is smooth. Do not over knead the dough.
Divide the dough in half (one slightly large than the other, if making a pie lattice). Place in the palm of your hand and form a thick disc.
Wrap the dough in saran wrap or plastic and chill in the fridge for an hour and up to 3 days for best results. It helps it easier to roll out. You can equally freeze and defrost in the fridge the night before using it.
When ready to use, remove the plastic from the dough and place it on a floured board or work surface.
If your pie dough breaks and crumbles when you try to roll it out, it's probably too dry. So sprinkle some cold water over the pie dough with your fingers and work it in gently. Again you do not want to overwork the dough. On the flip side, If your dough gets too soft to handle, return the dough back to the fridge to chill out.
Use a large rolling pin to roll out the dough, working from the center of the dough about, 12 to 13-inch round.
Dust the rolling pin, then place your rolling pin on one edge of the pie crust and carefully roll the pie crust over the rolling pin. Transfer it to the pie pan and unroll.
Gently press the dough into the shape of the pie pan. Fit gently into the bottom and side of a 9-inch plate. Use kitchen shears to trim the dough to a 2 -inch overhang; fold under, and seal to form a rim.
Save the rest of the dough for later use, as needed to do any patchwork. Cover any tearing and/or holes, then decorate the edges. Place the pie pan and the strips, if using any, in the fridge for at least 45 minutes.
Prick your pie dough before baking if you are pre-baking the pie shell and you don't want it to rise too much. If not, leave as is.

Notes

Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition