How to Make an Amazing Pie Crust
Video: How to Make an Amazing Pie Crust at Home
This holiday season, make your own pie crust because it is easier than you think! And it is so delicious!
Homemade pie crust can be intimidating, that is what I thought before I made it for the first time. However, like anything we do, once we have done it once, then we realize that it really is not that scary! Step by step, let me walk you through making your own pie crust from scratch by hand or using a food processor. I am also going to share some things I learned along the way that make homemade pie crust even easier!
Video: homemade pie crust pointers
VERY COLD BUTTER
No matter what climate you live in, when it comes to making your own pie crust, make sure your butter is VERY COLD. Not only is my butter refrigerated before I use it; if I am making my pie crust by hand, I throw my butter in the freezer for 1 hour before I use it. To help the butter stay cold, try making your pie crust in the morning or at night, to avoid the hottest time of the day. I will explain in a few minutes, keep that butter paper!
If you choose to make the pie crust by hand, after freezing the butter for 1 hour, use a box grater to grate the butter. Remember to work fast to keep the butter cold. You could also wrap the butter with a kitchen towel to minimize transfering the heat from your hand. If you choose to make the pie crust with a food processor, cut the cold butter into half inch cubes. Do you need to freeze the butter for 1 hour if you are using the food processor? The answer is no, but be mindful of the room temperature you are working in. If the room temperature is above 72 Fahrenheit or 22 Celsius, I would recommend freezing the butter for 1 hour before you use it.
GLUTEN FREE FLOUR WORKS WONDERS
Combine the butter with flour until the butter is just incorporated. Do not overwork the dough because we do not want gluten to form. One great alternative to avoid overworking the dough is to use gluten free flour. I have used gluten free “measure to measure” flour in making homemade pie crust to great success every time!
DON’T BE TEMPTED TO ADD MORE WATER
I add water 1 tablespoon at a time to the butter and flour mixture because it is more evenly distributed with less mixing. Remember, we are mixing the dough minimally to keep it short (no gluten!). After you add all the water the recipe calls for, the mixture may seem dry and crumbly especially if you are mixing the dough by hand. I know it is very tempting to add more water, but don’t, unless you want a rock hard crust. Simply gather the crumbs by hand and it will quickly form into a ball. If you live in a super dry climate and the dough still doesn’t come together after mixing by hand for a minute , then add just 1 teaspoon of water, no more than 1 tablespoon.
ROLL OUT THE DOUGH BALL INTO A SHEET RIGHT AWAY
I have seen many, if not all, recipes say to chill the dough ball in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before rolling it out. I find it much easier to roll the dough into a sheet right away. I place my dough ball on a sheet of parchment paper, gently pat it down to 1 inch thickness, put another sheet of parchment paper on top, then I start rolling the dough from the center outward with a rolling pin. Rolling the dough sandwiched between two sheets of parchment paper makes the cleanup afterward super easy. Roll out the dough to ⅛” thickness, and no less than 12” diameter. You may not roll out the dough into a perfect circle right away, especially if this is your first time making homemade pie dough. Remember that pie crust dough is very forgiving. You can always cut the dough and patch where you need it to form into a circle.
measure the dough as you roll it out
KEEP THAT BUTTER PAPER!
You still have the butter paper? Good, because we are going to use the butter side to grease the baking dish! It is so easy to grease the baking dish with the butter paper. Lay the rolled out dough over the pie dish and work in a circle to cover it completely with the dough. You may want to push the dough gently to cover the dish. Trim and patch on the edges. Cover and refrigerate the baking dish until ready to use.
gently push the dough to cover the entire baking dish
That’s it! I urge you to make your own homemade pie crust, it is easy and so much better than store bought crust. You will be so glad that you tried it. Have fun!
Makes 2 sheets of 12-14" diameter crusts
Cold, Unsalted Butter 1 cup (227 g)
All Purpose Flour or Gluten Free Flour 2 1/2 cups + 1 Tbsp (363 g)
Salt 1 tsp
Cold Water 1/3 cup (73 g)
Hand Method:
Put the butter in the freezer for 1 hour.
Coarsely grate the butter using a box grater.
In a big bowl, combine grated butter, flour and salt. Mix with a pastry blender until all butter is incorporated. Add the water 1 Tbsp at a time and mix before adding the next Tbsp.
When all the water is absorbed, form the dough into a ball with your hands and stop as soon as a ball is formed. Divide the dough into 2 equal balls.
Put the dough ball on a sheet of parchment paper and flatten it with your hands. Lay another sheet of parchment paper on top and roll it out with a rolling pin from the center outwards. Pie dough is very forgiving. You can cut the excess to patch where it is needed. Continue rolling out the dough until you have reached at least 12" diameter, and the thickness is ⅛”.
Grease the pie dish with butter paper. Lay the dough over the pie dish and work in a circle to cover the pie dish completely with the dough. You may want to push the dough gently to cover the dish. Trim and patch on the edges. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Video: Hand Method
Food Processor Method:
1. Using cold butter (no need to freeze beforehand), cut the butter into half inch cubes.
2. In the food processor, combine flour, salt and the cubed butter. Pulse until the butter is incorporated and the mixture is pea sized.
3. With the processor running, slowly pour the water into the mixture and a ball will form immediately. Remove the dough ball and the crumbs from the food processor. In a bowl, mix the dough and the crumbs with your hands and stop as soon as a ball is formed. Follow step 5 and 6 above to finish. See your pie recipe for baking instructions.
Video: Food Processor Method
