Quick and easy homemade pie crust is a fool proof recipe for tender, flaky pie crust. With our easy method, you’ll never use a premade crust again!
Homemade pie crust has a bad reputation for being incredibly difficult to make.
With my easy version though that couldn’t be farther from the truth!
A good pie crust is only 4 simple ingredients and a quick prep away.
And it tastes delicious in any sweet or savory pie recipe you can think of!
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Flour– All purpose
- Salt– Just a little bit!
- Shortening– Like Crisco
- Cold water– You want the water to be as cold as you can make it! The cold water is the secret to super flaky crust as it creates little pockets of steam in the crust.
How to Make
This homemade pie crust recipe is so easy to make that you’ll never go back to store bought!
Just whisk the flour and salt together in a mixing bowl until combined.
Then add the shortening to the mixing bowl and cut it in with a pastry blender until the dough forms pea sized crumbs.
Add a tablespoon of water to the dough, mixing gently with a fork.
Continue to add water one tablespoon at a time, mixing it in with a fork, just until the dough is moist enough to stick together.
Form the dough into a ball in the mixing bowl and then transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
Flatten the dough so it is roughly a half inch thick and the edges are smooth.
Roll the dough out with a rolling pin into an even circle that is about 1 inch larger than your 8 or 9 inch pie plate.
Carefully transfer the pie crust into the prepared pie plate, fitting it loosely in the dish.
Press it down lightly to get rid of any trapped air.
Bake according to the instructions in your recipe and enjoy!
What does cutting in mean?
Cutting in is a common way to add fat into a dry ingredients in baked goods like pie crusts and scones.
If you bake a lot, you likely have a pastry blender or cutter, which is a tool with a row of four or five curved thin pieces of metal attached to a handle.
The tool is used to break up the cold fat source (butter or shortening) and work it into the flour while still keeping small pieces in tact.
To do that, you just press down on the fat source sort with the cutter.
You want there to be small pieces of fat dotted throughout the crust rather than solidly emulsified into the crust.
The small pieces melt during the baking process, releasing steam that creates a tender crust.
Don’t have a pastry blender or cutter?
Hold two butter knives together at an angle and use those to cut the shortening in.
Butter vs Shortening in Pie Crust
Fat is a crucial element in any pie crust recipe and there’s a great divide between those that prefer butter in their crust and those that use shortening.
So what’s the difference?
Pie crusts with butter in them tend to be sturdier and have a buttery flavor that you can taste even with a flavorful pie filling.
On the other hand, crusts with shortening tend to be more tender and delicate.
What is the best flour for pie crust?
All purpose flour!
Bread flour will create a tough crust and cake flour will be too soft.
Tips and Tricks
- Be careful when adding the water to your pie crust mixture! Too much water will cause the dough to be sticky and tough, while too little will result in a pastry that tears easily and the edges will crack making it difficult to roll out properly.
- For best results, refrigerate the shortening before you make the crust so the shortening is good and cold.
- Don’t overwork the dough! You want to stop mixing the dough as soon as it comes together. If you over mix it, the gluten in the flour will develop too much and the dough will be tough.
How to Use a Homemade Pie Crust
You’ll love this quick and easy homemade pie crust recipe in any homemade pie!
Looking for a few recipes to use it in?
Try these:
If you’ve tried this EASY HOMEMADE PIE CRUST RECIPE, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Quick & Easy Homemade Pie Crust Recipe
Instructions
- Add the flour and salt to a mixing bowl, and whisk together until evenly combined.1 cup flour, 1/2 tsp salt
- Add the shortening to the mixing bowl and cut in with a pastry blender until the dough resembles crumbs the size of small peas.1/3 cup shortening
- Sprinkle some of the water over the mixture, a tablespoon at a time, while mixing lightly with a fork. Continue adding water and mixing just until the dough is moist enough to hold together.3-4 tbsp cold water
- In the mixing bowl, form the dough into a ball then transfer it to a lightly floured flat workspace. Flatten the dough ball to roughly 1/2" in thickness with smooth edges.
- Roll the dough out into a roughly even circle 1 inch larger than your 8 or 9" pie plate.
- Transfer the pastry to your prepared pie plate, then fit it loosely into the dish and press it down to remove any trapped pockets of air.
- Bake per your recipe instructions and enjoy!
Notes
- Be careful when adding the water to your pie crust mixture! Too much water will cause the dough to be sticky and tough, while too little will result in a pastry that tears easily and the edges will crack making it difficult to roll out properly.
- For best results, refrigerate the shortening before you make the crust so the shortening is good and cold.
- Don't overwork the dough! You want to stop mixing the dough as soon as it comes together. If you over mix it, the gluten in the flour will develop too much and the dough will be tough.
Nutrition
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