We have found the perfect Homemade Pie Crust recipe.. incredibly flaky, buttery, and downright delicious for sweet and savory pies. Follow our simple steps and you’re well on your way to creating pie masterpieces that everyone will go nuts over!
The Best Flaky, Buttery Homemade Pie Crust
There aren’t many things that I love more than pie- especially when it is made with a super flaky and delicious pie crust. And while pie crust isn’t exactly hard to master, it often goes wrong. I have had many tough, dense, underbaked and/or flavorless pie crusts. And let’s be honest. The crust is half the reason we’re showing up to the show.
But I have good news. Perfectly flaky and delicious homemade pie crust is absolutely attainable. All it takes is the right recipe and a few tips. And today I’m bringing you both of those things. You will be prepared to deliver fabulous homemade pies all season long- from sweet to savory- in no time.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Flaky Homemade Pie Crust:
- Flour
- Butter
- Butter-Flavored Shortening
- Milk
- Salt
How to Make Perfect Homemade Pie Crust:
- Add the flour and salt to a medium sized bowl; toss together. Add the cold butter and shortening and use a pastry blender or fork to combine. It will look crumbly, with pea-sized chunks.
- Add the milk, tossing to combine. Do NOT over mix. Gently press the crust together and divide into two equal pieces.
- Wrap with plastic wrap and shape into a disc. Chill for at least an hour.
- Remove from the fridge and roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. You want to work quickly so the dough stays cold. Roll crust out into a 12-inch circle.
- Place the dough into a pie crust and flute the edges, using a fork or your fingers.
- Add filling, or if pre-baking, line the crust with parchment or foil and fill with pie weights.
- Bake according to recipe directions. For prebaked crust, bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Gently remove the pie weights and lining, prick the crust with a fork, and continue baking for an additional 13-15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Allow to cool completely before adding the filling.
Tips & Suggestions:
Use cold butter and shortening. This is absolutely necessary to create those beautiful flaky layers! After mixing up your dough, put it back into the fridge so it can chill before baking.
Don’t over mix! You want to keep some nice, pea-sized chunks of butter and shortening in your dough. Again- this is what helps create all those layers that we’re going for.
Roll out nice and thin. Your pie dough should be about 1/8″ thick. Any thinner, and it’ll tear easily. Any thicker, and it won’t cook through and you’ll end up with underbaked pie crust.
Freeze extra pie dough. Freezing extra pie dough is a great way to save time in the future. Place discs of pie dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, into sealable freezer bags for up to 6 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator before using.
Brush the top crust with egg wash or cream before baking. This will give your crust a beautiful, deep golden color. If desired, you can also sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Flaky Homemade Pie Crust
Our homemade pie crust is incredibly flaky, buttery, and downright delicious for sweet and savory pies.
Servings: 2 crusts
Calories: 293kcal
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter cold, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup butter flavored shortening
- 1/2 cup cold milk
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Mix the flour, salt, butter, and shortening together with a pastry blender. Add the milk and press the mixture together with your hands. Don’t over knead at this point or it won’t be as flakey.
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Separate into two balls and wrap with saran wrap. Flatten into discs and put in the fridge for at least 1 hour, up to overnight.
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Remove from the fridge and roll out one disc at a time on a lightly floured surface. Add a little sprinkle on top of the dough as well as on your rolling pin to help prevent it from sticking. You want to roll the dough to a 12 inch cirlce for a standard pie plate size, which is 9 inches. To prevent sticking, you can gently lift the dough and rotate it just a bit between rolling with the rolling pin.
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Carefully transfer the dough to your pie dish with with a spatula. Gently arrange the dough to fit your pie dish, trim the edges and decorate them.
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At this point you can add your filling if making a double crusted pie. Then repeat the same steps with the other dough disc. Follow the instructions for baking for whatever pie you are making.
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If you are just making a single crust, once your dough is in the pie dish, line the dough with parchment paper, making sure to cover the bottom and up the sides. Add pie weights on top of the parchment paper and try to push the weights up the sides as much as possible to prevent the sides from shrinking down. If you don’t have pie weights, you can use dried beans also!
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If you are par-baking the crust, heat your oven to 375°F. Bake for 15-16 minutes, until the edges are starting to turn a golden brown. Remove from the oven and lift the parchment paper out of the pie. Quickly prick holes with a fork in the bottom of the pie. Return the pie crust to the oven and bake for 7-8 more minutes.
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If you need a fully baked crust, after you remove the parchment and pie weights, return and bake for 13-15 minutes longer.
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For a no-bake pie, cool the crust completely before adding the filling. For a pie that you will be baking the filling, you can add the filling to a warm crust.
Calories: 293kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 239mg | Potassium: 55mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 303IU | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg
www.superhealthykids.com
Natalie Monson
I’m a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.
