Easy Homemade Light & Flaky No Fail Pie Crust
People seem to have a love-hate relationship with pie crust. They love eating it but hate making it. I get that, pie crust can be challenging to make and doesn’t always turn out.
The payoff though for great pie crust is absolutely worth it. Nothing tastes better than homemade pie crust! The flakiness and the buttery taste are so delicious.
When making pie crust here are some tips that will help so you get the perfect crust every time.
- Everything needs to be cold, like everything butter, lard, (the only time I use lard is in pie crust) ice water (I literally use water with ice in it) even the bowl. When I know I’m going to be making crust I put everything in the fridge a couple of days beforehand and the bowl in the fridge or freezer the night before.
- Chunks are perfectly acceptable in the crust. When I make crust I always see either chunks of butter or lard. They will go away when you bake the crust so don’t worry about them.
- When adding the water to the dry ingredients, start with less you can always add more if needed.
- Before you start rolling like a boss, make sure the dough is roughly shaped like a disk. This will make sure the shape of the dough stays somewhat round when rolling.
- Make sure your dough is chilled before rolling it out. Again before I roll it out I put it in the fridge for an hour just so it’s harder and I can be rougher with it.
- Rolling and turning is a must! When you start rolling out the dough, start in the middle of the dough and roll away from you. Then pick up the dough and turn it about 90 degrees and repeat. Always roll away and turn this will help make sure the dough is not sticking to the counter, if you find it is getting sticky just put a little more flour down.
- Place the dough slowly in the pan and let it fall into place. Don’t push or force the dough into the curves of the pan, gravity will help it get there, and if not just lightly put it in place.
- Chill the dough once it is in the pan. Are you seeing a theme here? The theme is cold. When the rolled-out crust is in the pan place it back in the fridge. This will help keep it in place when you are putting the filling in and it will help keep its shape when you bake it.
This crust can be used for sweet pies as well as savoury, you can also freeze this crust so you can make it ahead of time.
INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
3/4 cup butter chilled and cut into cubes
1/2 cup shortening chilled and cut into cubes
6-8 tbsp ice water
DIRECTIONS
Combine flour, salt, and the sugar stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
Add the butter and mix for about 2-3 minutes.
Add shortening and mix for another 2-3 minutes. The mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal
Add 6 tablespoons of ice water and mix until the dough is pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Pinch the dough and if it sticks together then it’s done. If it doesn’t stick together add another tablespoon of ice water at a time until it does.
Place dough on a clean surface and divide it into 2 balls equal in size. Flatten each ball into a 4-inch disk and wrap it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for 20 minutes or longer, just to stiffen it up so you can work with it a little longer.
After the dough has been chilled you can start rolling it. If it’s a little too stiff wait a couple of minutes for it to warm up. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the dough so the rolling pin doesn’t stick to it.
Once you have a big enough piece of dough place it in the pie dish. The easiest way to place dough in the dish it to lightly fold it in half and then in half again. Place it in the dish and carefully unfold the dough. Trim off the access dough that hangs over the edge with a knife.
If you are making a double-crust pie (top and bottom) repeat the process for the top crust.
This crust can be stored in the fridge for two weeks or can be frozen in a zip-lock freezer bag for up to two months.
No Fail Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 3/4 cup butter chilled and cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup shortening chilled and cut into cubes
- 6-8 tbsp ice water
Instructions
- Combine flour, salt, and the sugar stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
- Add the butter and mix for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add shortening and mix for another 2-3 minutes. The mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal
- Add 6 tablespoons of ice water and mix until the dough is pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Pinch the dough and if it sticks together then it's done. If it doesn't stick together add another tablespoon of ice water at a time until it does.
- Place dough on a clean surface and divide it into 2 balls equal in size. Flatten each ball into a 4-inch disk and wrap with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 20 minutes or longer, just to stiffen it up so you can work with it a little longer.
- After the dough has been chilled you can start rolling it. If it's a little too stiff wait a couple of minutes for it to warm up. Sprinkle a little bit of flour on top of the dough so the rolling pin doesn't stick to it.
- Once you have a big enough piece of dough place it in the pie dish. The easiest way to place dough in the dish it to lightly fold it in half then in half again. Place it in the dish and carefully unfold the dough.
- If you are making a double-crust pie (top and bottom) repeat the process for the top crust.
