I’m super excited to share my homemade pie crust recipe with you this week!
One might ask, “can’t you just buy pie crust at the store and make your life easier?” Well, let me tell you, once you start making your own pie crust, you won’t go back. It will bring your pie game from “pretty good” to “OK girl, I see you!”… it’s just that good. I started making my own pie crust with old King Arthur recipes some years back and have tweaked it over time to achieve the perfect buttery and flaky crust. The recipe itself is simple, but it does take some planning ahead. I usually prepare my pie crust the night before to take some of the work load off day-of, but you can make it as soon as 2 hours ahead of pie baking time.
This pie crust uses both shortening and butter, and as usual, you want the fats to be as cold as possible before working them into the dough in order to create flaky layers within the finished pie crust. I store my shortening in the refrigerator and my butter in the freezer. About 1-2 hours before starting the crust, I transfer the butter to the refrigerator so it’s more workable. I find that this combo of shortening and butter is perfect for both savoury and sweet pies.
Some tips to make this pie recipe extra simple:
- Gather all the equipment and ingredients first so you can work efficiently. We don’t want those fats melting while looking for a measuring cup!
- Pour a glass of ice water before starting to let it chill while you work.
- Use a pastry cutter or food processor to cut butter and shortening into the flour, again, to avoid melting the fats while you’re working. #flakycrustisBAE
- If your dough won’t come together, add 1-2 tablespoons of water until you are able to form a cohesive dough ball.
Homemade All Purpose Pie Crust Recipe
Equipment
- Pastry mat
- Pastry cutter
Ingredients
- 315 g (2 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 115 g (1/2 cup) unsalted butter chilled
- 98 g (1/2 cup) vegetable shortening chilled
- 120 mL (1/2 cup) ice water
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients and chilled (optional) equipment. Pour ice water and set aside.
- Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cube the butter and shortening and add directly to the flour mixture.
- Use a pastry cutter or food processor to cut the butter and shortening into the flour mixture until they are evenly dispersed into pea-sized bits. Do not use your fingers.
- Measure 1/2 cup of water from the ice water mixture (some ice has melted at this point). Slowly add about 1 T of water at a time to the dough, using a spatula to mix. Continue adding water until the dough begins forming large clumps. If the dough is still too dry and not cohesive, you can add 1-2 more tablespoons of water. Do not over-mix the dough.
- Transfer dough to a clean work surface or pastry mat. Using floured hands and working quickly, form the dough into a cohesive ball. Divide in half and form into 1-inch discs, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 2-24 hours.
- You’re ready to use the dough in your favourite pie recipe! Enjoy!
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