A simple Pie Crust recipe is essential to have on hand. Whether you’re a total beginner or an expert in the kitchen, this pie crust will serve you well – it’s so much better than store-bought!
Pie Crust Recipe
It seems like some of the most standard recipes come off as the most daunting. A pie crust is used in so many recipes ranging from dinner to dessert but making one from scratch tends to make people nervous. Well I’m here to tell you, it’s really quite easy. All you need is 5 ingredients that I guarantee are already in your kitchen. This recipe doesn’t require any kind of shortening, just very cold butter. You can make this by hand or with a food processor depending on what methods you prefer. And because this is just a classic crust it can be used for dinners like meat or pot pies or for desserts like apple, pecan, and even pudding pies. The process is straightforward with zero complicated steps. Just prep and bake and you’ve got a golden, buttery pie crust fit for all occasions!
So now you’ve got a crust, what do you do with it? Bake pies of course! Try classic desserts like Strawberry Pie or Pumpkin Pie. Or go for something savory with this bright and juicy Tomato Pie!
What’s a blind bake?
Some pie recipes call for a blind or pre bake of the crust before baking the actual pie. To do this you prepare the crust in your pie tin as directed. Make sure to let it freeze and firm up. Then place parchment paper over the crust and weigh it down with pie weights to ensure the crust cooks in the proper shape to then add the filling. If you don’t have pie weights you can use dried beans or uncooked rice as an alternative. Bake the crust for 10-15 minutes, then remove the pie weights. Prick the bottom of the crust and bake for another 5. Add your filling and continue with whatever the recipe calls for.
How To Make Pie Crust Recipe
- Whisk. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. You could also use a food processor to mix them. Pulse for about 10-15 seconds.
- Mix. Add in the cold, sliced butter. Cut them into the dough using a pastry cutter or just your fingers. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs. Again, you can use a food processor and pulse a few times to get the right texture.
- Drizzle. One tablespoon at a time, drizzle over the ice water.Toss (or pulse) the dough until it just comes together and clumps.
- Divide. Divide the dough in half and turn out onto a floured surface (add some flour to your hands to prevent sticking). Shape each half into a disc.
- Wrap. Wrap the discs of dough tightly in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for at least an hour.
- Roll. When ready to use your pie crust dough, roll out the discs until they’re about a quarter inch thick.
- Press. Place one sheet of dough over a pie pan and gently press down into the pan. Be careful as the sides may break and collapse.
- Crimp. Cut off the excess dough and crimp around the edges with a fork or your fingers.
- Freeze. Freeze the prepared dough for 1 hour prior to baking and use it in whatever recipe you like! The second disc of dough can be rolled out for a second pie or to top the first pie, depending on the recipe you’ve chosen.
Storing Pie Crust Recipe
Store the unbaked pie crust dough in tightly wrapped plastic wrap in the fridge for up to a week.
You can also freeze the dough by storing it in a tightly sealed container or freezer bag for up to 4 months.
Ingredients Notes for Pie Crust Recipe
- Flour – All purpose flour will give us our base. Have some extra on hand for rolling out the dough. It’s best to spoon the flour into the measuring cup so you don’t end up packing it.
- Sugar – This adds a touch of sweetness to the dough but not enough that you can’t use this crusty for a savory recipe! It’s all about balance.
- Salt – A pinch to balance the sweetness and strengthen the structure of the dough.
- Butter – I used unsalted but you can use what you have. Make sure the butter is very cold and sliced.
- Water – Ice cold is key!
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Pie Crust Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 Cups All-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp Granulated sugar
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Cup (2 sticks) Unsalted butter, very cold and sliced
- 3-6 Tbsp Ice water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt (or pulse them in a food processor for 10-15 seconds to mix).
- Add the cold butter cubes and cut them into the flour with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces of butter (or pulse several times in a food processor until you get the same texture).
- Drizzle in the ice water a tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork until the dough just comes together (or pulse in the food processor after each addition of water until the dough begins to clump).
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, divide into 2 equal portions, and shape each into a disc.
- Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
- When ready to bake, roll the dough out to so it’s around 1/4 inch thick.
- Place the sheet of dough over a pie pan and gently press it into the pan (do not press too hard or the sides will be weak, and it’ll collapse).
- Cut off the excess around the edges then crimp the dough into whatever design you like by using a fork or your fingers.
- Freeze for 1 hour before baking and using in whatever recipe you like.
Notes
This pie crust dough can be stored wrapped tightly in saran wrap in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Or it can be stored in a tightly sealed container or baggy for up to 4 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
