Easy to follow and prepare, this homemade pie crust is buttery and perfectly flaky. Use it to bake sweet or savory pie. Shape into regular size or make mini pies. You can even cut it using a cookie cutter for perfect little savory snacks. This 4 ingredients pie crust recipe has no shortening. It’s all butter and comes out flaky!
WATCH THE DETAILED VIDEO of the PIE CRUST
I didn’t grow up eating or baking pie. But staying in US, got me into the practice of baking pie during holiday season. And since my husband is big fan of pie, especially pumpkin pie. I had to perfect it.
Making pie is extremely satisfying and if you get daunted with the whole idea, then watching the video will definitely help.
BUTTER OR SHORTENING FOR PIE CRUST
Lot of recipe calls for a mix of both butter and shortening. Some even uses just shortening. I use just butter.
COLD BUTTER is what we need – As the crust bakes, the butter melts away creating layers in the flour and there by a crumbly crust. If the butter softens before you bake, then the crust will turn hard and not flaky.
STEPS TO PREPARE PIE CRUST
Mixing the butter:
Mix the cold butter with flour until it looks crumbly. You can do this in a mixing bowl, by cutting the cold butter using a pastry cutter, fork or hand. I would avoid hand because that can soften the butter.
At times I use a box grater to grate the cold butter to the flour. This step really helps to evenly distribute the butter to the flour.
I used a food processor and just pulsed it a few times.
Adding the liquid:
Next add the liquid. I use cold apple cider vinegar and ice-cold water. You can use just ice-cold water too.
DO NOT KNEAD:
Once you add the liquid just mix it around using a rubber spatula to bring the dough together. DO NOT KNEAD. If you are using a food processor, then just pulse it a few times.
Then divide the dough into two roughly equal portions and wrap it in a clear wrap. As you wrap, press it down a little and flatten it out. This will help to roll the dough later.
Freeze the dough before rolling:
Keep the wrapped dough in the refrigerator for an hour. You can store it for 3 days in the refrigerator or for 3 months in the freezer.
Freeze again before baking:
Once you roll the dough, and shape it in the pie pan, refrigerate the pan for 15 minutes if you are planning to blind bake.
Rolling the butter crust
It’s very important to dust flour on the surface, the dough and your rolling pin. Roll from center to outward and keep rotating in between.
Roll it to ⅛th cm and 1 inch wider than your pie plate.
Blind baking the crust
For any custard base pie, sweet or savory, it is good to blind bake the crust so that the bottom gets partially cooked. This will avoid having a soggy bottom.
To blind bake, you place parchment paper on the pie crust and then scatter enough pie weights, dried beans or dried lentils to weigh down the parchment paper evenly.
KEY NOTES:
- Keep the butter cold and use ice cold water.
- Do know knead the dough, just mix it around with a wooden spoon.
- Wrap the dough in clear wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for a while before you roll it out.
- Do not press the rolled dough to the pie pan, push the sides down. Place the pie pan in the freezer for a while before you blind bake or bake it with the filling.
- The butter in the dough should not melt before you place it in the oven. This will result in hard pie crust texture.
- As the cold butter melts in the hot oven, it creates layers making a flaky pie crust.
Baking pie is very therapeutic and once you get the hang of it, you will bake on repeat. Hope this recipe and the video I shared will be helpful.
How to make Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 2 and ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup unsalted butter cold, cut in cubes)
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoon ice cold water
Instructions
- Using a food processor or a mixing bowl, mix the flour with salt and sugar.
- Add the cold butter and if you are using a food processor then pulse it a few times to incorporate the butter to the flour. If you are using a mixing bowl, then cut the butter using a pastry cutter or fork or you could even grate the cold butter to the flour.
- Pour the vinegar and ice cold water then pulse it once again to bring the mixture together. If you are using mixing bowl then use a wooden spoon to bring the dough together.
- Then transfer the dough to a bigger space, chopping board or kitchen counter. DO NOT KNEAD. Just bring the dough together and divide into two portions.
- Wrap each portions using a clear wrap and then flatten it out a little so it becomes easy to roll later.
- Keep the wrap dough in the frige to make it cold again, before you roll.
- You can store the pie crust in the refrigerator for 3 days and in the freezer for 3 months.
- When you are ready to roll the pie crust, dust enough flour on the board and on the rolling pin. Then roll it gently from center to outward and rotate the dough every now and then.
- You have to roll it to ⅛th inch thick and 1 inch wider than the pie plate.
- Wrap the rolled dough to your rolling pin and transfer it to the pie plate.
- Do not press the dough down to the pie plate. Push the esges down to fill the bottom of the pie plate.
- Trim off the excess dough, and if you like a thicker crust then tug the edges to make it thicker. (WATCH THE VIDEO)
- Finally shape the edge as per your liking.
- Place the prepared pie pan to the fridge for 15 minutes, before you fill and bake.
- If you are blind baking the pie crust, then place a crumbled parchment paper to the crust and pour enough dried beans or lentils and press it down gently to spread it evenly.
- Bake the pie crust for 10 minutes.
- Remove the lentil and the parchement paper, and bake for another 5 minutes.
- The pie crust is partially baked and ready for the filling.
- For the excess trimmed off pie dough, you can roll it out and use fall leaves cookie cutter to make decoration for your pie.
Video
Notes
