Name: Perfect Pie Crust Recipe
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: American

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Several pie crust recipesan all butter pie crust, or pate brisee, an all butter crust with almonds, combining butter and shortening crust, and how to pre-bake or blind-bake a pie crust. 

How to make Perfect Pie Crust Recipe

Elise Bauer

Crawler

American

<p>Several pie crust recipesan all butter pie crust, or pate brisee, an all butter crust with almonds, combining butter and shortening crust, and how to pre-bake or blind-bake a pie crust. </p>

Vegetarian

All purpose flour,  plus extra for rolling

Salt

Put flour, sugar, and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a couple times to mix.

step 1

Add about half of the butter to the food processor and pulse several times. Then add the rest of the butter and pulse 6 to 8 times until the largest pieces of butter are about the size of large peas.

step 2

Sprinkle the mixture with about 1/4 cup of ice water (make sure there are no ice cubes in the water!) and pulse again. Then add more ice water, a tablespoon at a time, pulsing once or twice after each addition until the dough just barely begins to hold together.

step 3

You know that the mixture is ready if when you pinch some of the crumbly dough together with your fingers, it holds together. Be cautious with the amount of water you add, too much and the crust will be tough.

step 4

Carefully empty the crumbly dough mixture from the food processor on to a clean, dry, flat surface. Gather the mixture in a mound.

step 5

Divide the dough mixture into two even-sized mounds. Use your hands and knead each mound just enough to form each one into a disk. 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.

step 6

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!

step 7

Sprinkle each disk with a little flour, wrap each one in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for one hour or up to 2 days.

step 8

Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier.

step 9

Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. If necessary, add a few sprinkles of flour under the dough to keep the dough from sticking.

step 10

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.

step 11

Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish.

step 12

Roll out second disk of dough, as before. Gently place onto the top of the filling in the pie.

step 13

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.

step 14

Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork.

step 15

Score the top of the pie with four 2-inch long cuts, so that steam from the cooking pie can escape.

step 16

Until chilled. This is an important step in pre-baking. Otherwise the crust will slip down the sides.

step 17

step 18

When the pie crust is sufficiently chilled, line the pie crust with aluminum foil. Let the foil extend over by a few inches on two sides to make it easier to lift to remove the pie weights when the baking is done.

step 19

Fill the crust to the top with pie weights-dry beans, rice, or sugar. (sugar works best.).

step 20

Bake at 350f for 45-50 minutes if making a crust for a pie that will require further cooking, for example a quiche. Bake for 60 to 75 minutes if making a crust for a pie that you don't need to bake further.

step 21

You may need to tent the edges of the pie with aluminum foil when you bake your pie, to keep the edges from getting too dried out and burnt.

step 22

See more detailed instructions and photos for how to blind bake a crust here.

step 23

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse 4 times.

step 24

Add shortening in tablespoon sized chunks, and pulse 4 more times. The mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal, with butter bits no bigger than peas.

step 25

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.

step 26

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.

step 27

Remove dough from machine and place in a mound on a clean surface.

step 28

Divide the dough into 2 balls and flatten each into 4 inch wide disks.

step 29

step 30

Dust the disks lightly with flour, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least an hour, or up to 2 days before rolling out.

step 31

After the dough has chilled in the refrigerator for an hour, you can take it out to roll. If it is too stiff, you may need to let it sit for 5-10 minutes at room temperature before rolling.

step 32

Sprinkle a little flour on a flat, clean work surface and on top of the disk of dough you intend to roll out. (we use a tupperware pastry sheet that has the pie circles already marked.).

step 33

Using a rolling pin, apply light pressure while rolling outwards from the center of the dough.

step 34

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.

step 35

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.

step 36

When the dough has reached the right size, gently fold it in half. Lift up the dough and place it so that the folded edge is along the center line of the pie dish. Gently unfold. Do not stretch the dough.

step 37

If you are only making a single crust pie, use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the lip of the dish. Tuck the overhang underneath itself along the edge of the pie dish. Use your fingers in a pinching motion, or the tines of a fork to crimp the edge of the pie crust.

step 38

If you are making a double crust pie, roll out the second disk of dough. Gently place onto the top of the filling in the pie. Use a kitchen scissors to trim the overhang to an inch over. Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together. Finish the double crust by pressing against the edges of the pie with your finger tips or with a fork.

step 39

Use a sharp knife to cut vents into the top of the pie crust, so the steam has a place to escape while the pie is cooking.

step 40

Optional before scoring, you may want to paint the top of your crust with an egg wash (this will make a nice finish).

Perfect Pie Crust Recipe

ingredients serve

Ingredients for Perfect Pie Crust Recipe

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