Learn how to make a perfectly buttery, flaky pie crust from scratch using this in-depth tutorial and video. This page includes all of my best success tips, lots of step-by-step photos, and a thoroughly detailed recipe. Millions of readers have been using this helpful guide since 2015. Become a pro with this crust recipe and the rest will be as easy as… eating salted caramel apple pie!
For a baker, there’s nothing more satisfying than making a pie completely from scratch. Pies are often made for special occasions, and there’s a good reason for that: they’re time consuming. This shouldn’t scare you! It should intrigue you. If you’ve ever felt intimidated about making homemade pie crust, I’m here to walk you through it and cheer you on. If I can do this, you can do this.
Pie crust is the foundation for so many delicious desserts (plus savory pies and quiche), so once you build up your confidence in making a crust, you’re opening a door to an entire baking category. And that’s exciting! Whether your favorite pie filling is apple pie or creamy banana cream pie, or even eggs & cheese, the success of the overall pie can really hinge on the quality of the crust.
You wouldn’t hang a beautiful piece of art or favorite photo in a terrible frame, right?
Today I’m teaching you everything about making a buttery, flaky pie crust. This is my absolute favorite pie crust recipe and one of the most popular recipes on this website.
With all the recipe testing that goes into publishing the many pie recipes on this website and in my cookbooks, plus my annual Pie Week, it’s not an understatement to say that I have made a LOT of pies. Along the way, I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t, and I’m happy to share it all with you.
Start With These 5 Ingredients
The ingredient list for pie crust is short & simple:
- Flour: Start with quality flour. Did you know that not all all-purpose flours are equal? King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour is my go-to for not only pie crust, but for everything. (Not working with the brand, just a true fan!) Why? Its high protein level: “At 11.7% protein, it tops ordinary American all-purpose flours by nearly 2 percentage points.” What does this mean? Baked goods rise higher and stay fresh longer.
- Salt: Enhances the flavor.
- Butter: For that unparalleled buttery flavor and flaky layers.
- Vegetable Shortening: For structure and stability. More on this below.
- Ice water: Liquid brings the dough together. Some recipes call for half water and half vodka, because alcohol doesn’t promote gluten formation, which helps the crust stay flaky and tender. Basically, it’s a gift to anyone who accidentally overworks dough. If you want to try using vodka, use 1/4 cup (60ml) each cold vodka and cold water in this recipe.
You can use this pie dough for so many recipes beyond a traditional pie, too, such as mini pecan pies, mini fruit galettes, apple hand pies, and homemade brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts.
Is Pie Crust Better With Butter or Shortening?
I use BOTH shortening and butter in this pie crust because they work together to make the BEST crust. Buttery, flaky, and tender: the pie-fect trifecta.
- What does butter do? Butter adds flavor and flakiness.
- What does shortening do? Shortening helps the dough stay pliable, which is helpful when you’re rolling and shaping it. Plus, shortening’s high melting point helps the crust stay tender and maintain its shape as it bakes. Have you ever had a butter pie crust lose its shape completely? Shortening is “shape insurance.” 😉
If you don’t want to use shortening, try this all-butter pie crust instead. Let’s compare:
- Using all butter creates a lighter-textured crust and this is due to the butter’s water content. As the crust bakes, the butter’s water converts to steam, lifting up the dough and creating flaky layers. But because of all this butter, the crust doesn’t usually have a perfectly neat-edge/shape compared to the shortening and butter combination.
Both crusts taste buttery and flaky. But overall, this butter-and-shortening crust wins in terms of texture and flavor; AND, if you follow the pie crust recipe carefully, it holds shape too.
The Secret to Perfect Pie Crust: COLD
The refrigerator is as important as the oven when you’re making a homemade pie.
Why the emphasis on temperature? Keeping your pie dough as cold as possible helps prevent the fats from melting before the crust hits the hot oven. If the butter melts inside the dough before baking, you lose the flakiness. When the lumps of fat melt in the oven as the pie bakes, their steam helps to separate the crust into multiple flaky layers, as explained above. Warm fats will yield a hard, crunchy, greasy crust instead of a tender, flaky crust.
The colder the ingredients, the easier your pie crust is to work with, and the better it will turn out.
Two Tricks to Start as Cold as Possible:
- I keep some of my butter in the freezer and transfer it to the refrigerator a few hours before beginning the crust. This way it is still a little bit frozen and very, very cold. Simply keep the shortening in the refrigerator.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl (the flour and salt). Place the bowl in the refrigerator or freezer while you get the rest of the ingredients ready.
These Step-By-Step Photos Will Help
Take the butter and shortening out of the refrigerator. Cube the cold butter and measure out the cold shortening. Give the shortening a little chop—this is actually optional because, truly, the shortening is quite soft even when cold so it’s easy to mix in.
Now it’s time to combine everything. Add the butter and shortening to the dry ingredients, and use a pastry cutter (or 2 forks) to cut in the fats. Some pie crust recipes use a food processor for this, but I don’t recommend it, because it can lead to overworking the fats into the dough, cutting them up too small—which means you’ll need less water and your dough will fall apart. In this step, you’re only breaking up the cold fat into tiny little flour-coated pieces; you’re not completely incorporating it:
Cut in the fats until the mixture resembles coarse meal—crumbly with lots of lumps, as you see above. You should still have some larger pieces of butter and shortening when you’re done.
From a cup of ice water, measure out 1/2 cup (120ml), since the ice has melted a bit. Drizzle the cold water into the dough 1 Tablespoon (15ml) at a time, stirring after every Tablespoon has been added.
You’ll add just a little water at a time so that you don’t accidentally add too much. Stop adding water when the dough begins to form large clumps. I usually use 1/2 cup (120ml) of water, but if the weather is humid, you may not need as much, and if the weather is really dry, you may need a little more.
If too much water is added, the pie dough will require more flour and become tough.
If too little water is added, you’ll notice the dough is dry and crumbly when you try to roll it out and handle it.
You want the dough to clump together, but not feel overly sticky. Once the dough is clumping together, transfer the dough to a floured work surface.
Using floured hands, fold and smush (yes, that’s the technical term) the dough into itself, forming the dough into a ball. Your hands are your best tool, just like when making homemade puff pastry.
The ball of dough should come together easily. If it feels a bit too dry or crumbly, dip your fingers in the ice water and then continue forming the dough with your hands. If it feels too sticky, sprinkle on more flour and then continue forming the dough with your hands.
Once your ball of pie dough has come together, use a sharp knife to cut it in half:
This is enough dough for 2 pie crusts. You can use both crusts for a double-crust pie, like chicken pot pie and strawberry rhubarb pie; or, if your pie doesn’t require a top crust, like coconut cream pie, brownie pie, and lemon meringue pie, save the second pie crust for another pie. You can also roll out the second dough and use cookie cutters to make an easy pie design, like on this pumpkin pie.
Success Tip: Visible Specks and Swirls of Fat in Pie Dough
Take a look at the inside of the dough where you just sliced it. You want to see pieces of butter and flaky layers throughout the pie dough. These specks and swirls of butter and shortening will help ensure a flaky pie dough. They are a GOOD thing!
Now your pie dough is ready for a rest in the refrigerator. Flatten each half into 1-inch-thick discs using your hands. The disc shape makes it easier to roll out. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 5 days.
Can I Freeze Pie Dough?
Yes, absolutely, and I encourage it! Pie crust freezes beautifully, so it’s a great thing to make ahead of time. Store the tightly wrapped discs of pie dough in the freezer for up to 3 months.
If you know you’re going to want several pies around the holidays, or when your favorite fruit will be in season (cherry pie, anyone?), you can cut down on the amount of time it takes to make pies from scratch the day you want them by making several pie crusts in advance and freezing them.
Thaw the pie crust dough overnight in the refrigerator before rolling it out. It will be extra cold, which is a great starting point.
How to Roll Out Pie Crust
After the dough has chilled for at least 2 hours, you can roll it out. Work with one crust at a time, keeping the other in the refrigerator until you’re ready to roll it out. You’ll need a clean work surface, a rolling pin, and some flour. Lightly flour the work surface, rolling pin, and your hands, and sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough. Use gentle-medium force with your rolling pin on the dough—don’t press down too hard on the dough; you’re not mad at it!
When rolling dough out, start from the center and work your way out in all directions, turning the dough with your hands as you go:
Between passes of the rolling pin, rotate the pie crust and even flip it, to make sure it’s not sticking to your work surface. Sprinkle on a little more flour if it’s sticking. Roll, turn. Roll, turn.
Do you see that beautiful marbling of the butter and shortening throughout the dough? Flaky layers, here you come!
Success Tip: If you notice the dough becoming a lopsided circle as you’re rolling it out, put down the rolling pin and use your hands to help mold the dough back into an even circle:
Roll the dough into a thin 12-inch circle, which is the perfect size to fit a 9-inch pie dish. You want enough crust to have some overhang so you can make a decorative edge for your pie.
Your pie dough will be about 1/8-inch thick, which is quite thin.
Success Tip: Since your dough is so thin, use your rolling pin to help transfer the pie crust to the pie dish. Carefully roll one end of the circle of dough gently onto the rolling pin, rolling it back towards you, slowly peeling it off the work surface as you go. Pick it up, and carefully roll it back out over the top of the pie dish. It’s helpful to watch how I do it in the video below.
Make sure the pie crust is pretty well centered in the dish, with some overhang all around the sides. Tuck the crust into the pie dish, gently pressing it to the interior all the way around—no air bubbles.
Trim dough around the edges if there’s excess dough in some spots—you want about 1-inch overhang. After you add your pie filling and top crust (such as a lattice pie crust), fold overhang back over and pinch the top and bottom crusts together. Now you can create a pretty edge, such as fluting or crimping. I have a full tutorial on how to crimp and flute pie crust, but here’s a quick overview:
Fluting with fingers: To flute the edges, use a knuckle and 2 fingers to press around the edges of the pie crust, to give it a beautiful and classic scalloped look, like this apple pie.
Crimping with fork: You can also use a fork to crimp the edges, like I do with this peach pie.
Again, review my how to crimp and flute pie crust page and video if you need a little extra help with this step.
Your pie crust is ready to bake! Follow your pie recipe’s instructions from here; some recipes may call for a fully baked crust, and some may call for a partially baked (par-baked or blind baked) crust. You can read a tutorial on that here in this How to Par-Bake Pie Crust post. And some recipes, like this blueberry pie, don’t require baking the crust at all before adding the filling, because the pie bakes for so long; just spoon/pour the filling right in.
Your pie recipe might call for an egg wash on the dough and for that, use a pastry brush. And if you bake a lot of pies, this list of 10 best pie baking tools will be helpful for you.
Troubleshooting Pie Crust
- Pie crust is tough: Tough crusts are the result of not enough fat in the crust, as well as overworking the dough. Use the recipe below (plenty of fat) and avoid handling the dough more than you need.
- Don’t have enough pie dough: This recipe yields 2 pie crusts. To ensure you have enough pie dough for overhang and a pretty topping, roll your dough out to a 12-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick.
- Pie crust shrinks down the sides of the dish when baking: This can happen when par-baking a pie crust. See section below.
- Pie dough is dry & cracking around edges when rolling: Use enough ice water when preparing the pie dough. If you work the fats into the dry ingredients too much, the dough will feel too wet before you can add enough water. (And the dough will be dry and thirsty.) Do not overwork the fats in the dry ingredients—you still want those nice crumbles. If it’s too late and you notice the edges of your pie crust are cracking as you roll it out, dip your fingers in ice-cold water and meld the edges back together. Wait a minute, and then try rolling out again.
- Pie dough is falling apart & crumbling when rolling: The dough is likely crumbling because there’s too much fat, and not enough flour and water. Again, this is usually a result of fat being worked in too much, which can easily happen if the ingredients weren’t cold enough. (Refrigerate those dry ingredients before you start!) If it’s too late and the pie dough is crumbling as you roll it out, try adding more water AND more flour. Sprinkle a tiny bit of ice water and flour onto the cracks and crumbled pieces, and gently work it all in with your fingers. Wait a minute, and then try rolling out again.
Gently work ice water drops and flour into your crumbly pie dough to bring it back together:
Blind Baking Pie Crust
If your pie recipe requires a fully baked or par-baked pie crust before adding the filling, follow the directions and success tips in this How to Par-Bake Pie Crust guide. You need 2 packs of pie weights, which are metal or ceramic beads that serve to weigh down the crust to prevent the puffing/shrinking. You could use dried beans instead. Whichever you choose, be sure to line the crust with parchment paper, then fill the empty pie crust shell with the weights prior to baking. Without pie weights, the dough will puff up, and then shrink down the sides.
Pie Crust Success Tips
- Use a glass pie dish. I prefer using a glass pie dish when I make pie. Why? Glass dishes conduct heat evenly, which allows the bottom of the crust to bake thoroughly. Also, you’ll be able to see when the sides and bottom of the crust have browned.
- The refrigerator is pie dough’s best friend. Keep everything cold every step of the way: ingredients, the bowl, and the dough before rolling. When taking the pie crust out of the refrigerator to roll out and fill, make sure your pie filling is ready to go. If not, keep the pie crust in the refrigerator until it is.
- Keep dough cold when rolling out: Warm pie dough is unworkable. If the dough becomes too warm when you’re rolling it out, stop what you’re doing, pick it up as gently as you can, put it on a plate or small baking sheet, and then cover and refrigerate it for 10–20 minutes.
- Protect the crust edges from burning: Use a pie crust shield to prevent the edges from burning. A shield keeps the crust edge covered, but the center of the pie exposed, protecting the edges. I usually just make a pie shield out of a piece of aluminum foil. Take a piece of aluminum foil and fold it in half. Cut out a half circle. When you open it back up, you’ll have a square of foil with a circle cut out of the center. If you notice the edges of your pie crust are browning before the pie has fully baked, carefully and gently place the foil over the top of the pie, centering the cut-out hole over the pie. Carefully (obviously it’s very hot!) and lightly tuck the sides of the foil around the pie crust edges, then let the pie finish baking.
- Create a beautiful topping: For designing the top crust, see How to Lattice Pie Crust, How to Braid Pie Crust, or these Pie Crust Designs. And here is my tutorial on How to Crimp and Flute Pie Crust, too.
For more pie crust inspiration, see my graham cracker crust and homemade chocolate pop tarts (with a chocolate crust!).
PrintHomemade Buttery Flaky Pie Crust Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 pie crusts (1 lb, 8 ounces dough total)
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This recipe is enough for a double crust pie. If you only need 1 crust for your pie, freeze the other half per the Freezing Instructions below. Is your pie dough tearing, cracking, or crumbling as you try to roll it out? See recipe Notes.
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (315g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more for shaping and rolling
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
- 2/3 cup (130g) vegetable shortening, chilled
- 1/2 cup (120ml) ice cold water
Instructions
- Whisk the flour and salt together in a large bowl.
- Add the butter and shortening. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter and shortening into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal (pea-sized bits with a few larger bits of fat is OK). In this step, you’re only breaking up the cold fat into tiny little flour-coated pieces; you’re not completely incorporating it. Do not overwork the ingredients.
- Measure 1/2 cup (120ml) of water in a cup. Add ice. Stir it around. From that, measure 1/2 cup (120ml) of water, since the ice has melted a bit. Drizzle the cold water in, 1 Tablespoon (15ml) at a time, and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon after every Tablespoon has been added. Stop adding water when the dough begins to form large clumps. I always use about 1/2 cup of water, and need a little more in dry winter months. Do not add any more water than you need.
- Transfer the pie dough to a floured work surface. Using floured hands, fold the dough into itself until the flour is fully incorporated into the fats. The dough should come together easily and should not feel overly sticky. Avoid overworking the dough. If it feels a bit too dry or crumbly, dip your fingers in the ice water and then continue bringing dough together with your hands. If it feels too sticky, sprinkle on more flour and then continue bringing dough together with your hands. Form it into a ball. Use a sharp knife to cut it in half. If it’s helpful, you should have about 1 lb, 8 ounces dough total (about 680g). Gently flatten each half into 1-inch-thick discs using your hands.
- Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days.
- After the dough has chilled for at least 2 hours, you can roll it out. Work with one crust at a time, keeping the other in the refrigerator until you’re ready to roll it out. Lightly flour the work surface, rolling pin, and your hands, and sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough. Use gentle-medium force with your rolling pin on the dough—don’t press down too hard on the dough; you’re not mad at it! When rolling dough out, start from the center and work your way out in all directions, turning the dough with your hands as you go. Between passes of the rolling pin, rotate the pie crust and even flip it, to make sure it’s not sticking to your work surface. Sprinkle on a little more flour if it’s sticking; don’t be afraid to use a little more flour. If you notice the dough becoming a lopsided circle as you’re rolling it out, put down the rolling pin and use your hands to help mold the dough back into an even circle. Roll the dough into a very thin 12-inch circle, which is the perfect size to fit a 9-inch pie dish. Your pie dough will be about 1/8 inch thick, which is quite thin. Visible specks of butter and fat in the dough are perfectly normal and expected.
- Because your dough is so thin, use your rolling pin to help transfer the pie crust to the pie dish. Carefully roll one end of the circle of dough gently onto the rolling pin, rolling it back towards you, slowly peeling it off the work surface as you go. Pick it up, and carefully roll it back out over the top of the pie dish. It’s helpful to watch how I do it in the video below.
- Proceed with the pie per your recipe’s instructions. If your dough requires par-baking, see helpful How to Par-Bake Pie Crust tutorial.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare the pie dough through step 5 and freeze the discs for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using in your pie recipe.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Large Glass Mixing Bowl | Pastry Cutter | Rolling Pin | For more tools you may need to completely assemble and bake your pie, see my 10 Best Pie Baking Tools list.
- Salt: Use regular table salt. If using kosher salt, use 1 and 1/4 teaspoons.
- Shortening: This recipe uses a butter and shortening combination. Butter for flakiness and flavor, and shortening for its high melting point and ability to help the crust hold shape. You can use butter-flavor shortening if desired. If you want to skip the shortening, feel free to try this all-butter pie crust instead. Some readers have substituted lard for shortening in this recipe with success.
- Can I use a food processor? You can use a food processor to bring the dough ingredients together in step 1, but I find it quickly overworks the dough. For best results and a light, flaky crust, I recommend a pastry cutter.
- Pie dough is dry & cracking around edges when rolling: Use enough ice water when preparing the pie dough. If you work the fats into the dry ingredients too much, the dough will feel too wet before you can add enough water. (And the dough will be dry and thirsty.) Do not overwork the fats in the dry ingredients—you still want those nice crumbles. If it’s too late and you notice the edges of your pie crust are cracking as you roll it out, dip your fingers in ice-cold water and meld the edges back together. Wait a minute, and then try rolling out again.
- Pie dough is falling apart & crumbling when rolling: The dough is likely crumbling because there’s too much fat, and not enough flour and water. Again, this is usually a result of fat being worked in too much, which can easily happen if the ingredients weren’t cold enough. (Refrigerate those dry ingredients before you start!) If it’s too late and the pie dough is crumbling as you roll it out, try adding more water AND more flour. Sprinkle a tiny bit of ice water and flour onto the cracks and crumbled pieces, and gently work it all in with your fingers. Wait a minute, and then try rolling out again.
- More Crusts: If you need more than 2 pie crusts, make another separate batch of dough. Doubling or tripling the recipe leads to over- or under-working the dough, which ruins all of your efforts.
Wonderful pie crust. This was my first time making one from scratch and although I was a little unsure, the finished product came out great. I did part crisco( I only had butter flavor) and part butter. I used it for Your banana cream pie recipe. Love it!
Made this pie crust for the first time today and it ultimately came out DELICIOUS – but I had a very hard time rolling it! I followed the directions *exactly* and when I took the dough out of the fridge (after chilling overnight) it cracked all around the edges as soon as I started rolling. Should I have let it sit for a few minutes first? When we were making the dough, it felt VERY wet so we added less than the 1/2 cup ice water, worried it was TOO wet. I don’t think the dough being too dry was the problem. Then, after finally rolling out, as soon as I tried to pick it up and put it in the pie plate, it seemed to just rip and fall apart all over! It was a really soft and mushy disaster. Not sure what went wrong here? I managed to press the cracked pieces together and what I salvaged tasted phenomenal- but I just can’t get pie crust to work for me, EVER!
I am knew to the pie baking scene and this crust was great and easy to make. My only issue was that the bottom crust didn’t seem to cook thoroughly even after 50 minutes and it stuck to the bottom of my pie pan very badly. I greased the pan, put in my pie dough, apple pie filling, and top crust. Should I prebake the crust next time?
Hi Amanda, There is no need to grease your pie pan before adding your pie crust. There is enough butter in the dough to prevent it from sticking. If you heavily greased your pan your dough was probably too wet to bake properly on the bottom. Next time just add your crust right to the pan!
I’ve tried a lot of pie crust recipes over the years, and this is by far the best! I left a lot of butter chunks and made rectangle hand pies that look like poptarts. The crust was crisp and perfectly flaky and held together very well. I left sizable butter chunks and needed a little less water. Thank you!
Well, my hat is off to you people that are able to make this (or any) pie crust. I really don’t have any background in baking, so I expect there to be a learning curve with anything that I make from scratch. But I gave up and threw my dough in the trash. I thought I was ok up until rolling the dough out. I floured the counter and rolled it out. It kept breaking up. I tried to be patient. I molded it back together and rolled some more. I finally got it to the size I wanted and tried to roll it up on the pin. It was stuck completely to the counter. My patience waned and now my dough is at the bottom of the refuse can.
I gave this recipe four stars because, well it was exactly what I wanted. A crust totally from scatch. The directions were good. There was sufficient demonstration of technique. But clearly I think for now I should stick with the basics.
Hi Chris! I’m happy to help troubleshoot if you decide to try the recipe again. Flour your work surface a little more generously. Additionally, moisten your fingertips with cold water and try to bring any tearing pieces of dough back together. Moist hands will help because a cracking dough is typically dry. Thanks for trying it and have patience– pie dough definitely takes practice.
Hi Sally,
So I decided to try your recipe again. I will admit that the first time I didn’t use the whole amount of water in your recipe. My dough cracked and stuck to the counter. This time I used what was in your recipe and maybe even a Tbsp more. I also bought a silicone pastry mat to roll the dough out on. Well, this time was SO much easier. And the crust turned out perfectly. It was delicious. I used it to make your coconut cream pie and we loved it. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I know this reply is a little late for Chris, but it may help someone else scrolling through the comments.
I learned to make pies from my Grandmother. Her trick was to roll the crust out between two sheets of waxed paper. (Parchment paper also works.) After your crust is rolled to the correct size, gently peel off the top piece of waxed paper, then replace it atop the dough. Flip the paper/crust, and gently peel off the piece of waxed paper that originally was on the bottom.
No sticking to the counter!
I noticed the amount of water in this recipe is WAYYYYY too much. 120ml (120g) is double what is needed. Using all 120ml results in a wet mess and requires adding a significant amount of flour to fix.
I’d suggest amending it to 60ml and adding more or less as needed. 120ml is way too high and also double to triple what any other recipe calls for with relative ingredients.
120ml is my standard amount for this amount of flour to get the proper dough consistency (clumped together, not too moist). You may be cutting in the fats too much if you’re only using half this amount. Humidity also plays a factor, but any less than 120ml typically creates a dry dough prone to cracking.
How long does it take to cut in the fats. Either I never cut in enough I don’t want tough dough or too much and then it’s tough! Is there a time estimate to help me know
It usually takes me about 5 minutes by hand.
Hats off to this recipe! I scraped up the courage to make my very first pie yesterday while on quarantine. The pie crust was so tender and flaky and delicious! I love how detailed you are for the recipe. I was about to follow another recipe and they do NOT let you know to keep large chunks of fat in the dough. So glad I found the site. That first pie gave me the confidence to make more!
I used this for the pot pie crust. First time making crust and while I would do things differently (that is my learning curve ) I will follow this recipe again next time I need a crust. Very delicious! I was so nervous to make a crust and this recipe helped me finally just do it.
Hi Sally,
I’m so glad that you’re here to answer baking questions for us! I have one that has plagued me for years. Every time I make piecrust, even yours, my circle is always too small. It seems like I just don’t have enough go to make my crust and it ends up being a little thin on the edges. I am using a 9” pie pan, so it seems like it should work. Any idea what I’m doing wrong? Thanks!
Hi Rebecca! Could you roll the dough out a little thinner? Add more flour as you roll which prevents it from sticking, especially the edges. You can always use 3/4 of this dough for 1 crust. (Sometimes I do that for a thicker crust.) You’ll have 1/4 leftover that you can combine with another batch of pie dough!
Hi Sally. Quick question… I’m finding that most other crust recipes call for a tablespoon or two of sugar in the mix. Wondering why you prefer to omit it…and/or any other thoughts on if and when to add sugar to a crust? Much thanks! -Barry
Hi Barry! I use a touch of sugar in my all butter pie crust to help break down the large quantity of butter. Since we’re not using as much here, there’s no need for sugar. The shortening doesn’t need help breaking down at all. Hope this helps!
First time making pie crust from scratch and this was perfect in every way! I’m so proud! Thanks Sally. I made your apple pie recipe.
Pretty sure this is the first pie crust I’ve ever made that I actually liked! Thank you so much. I found this crust easy to work with too. Usually my crust falls apart before I can even get it to the pie plate. Because I decided to make pie spur of the moment, I skipped the long chill and put the disks in the freezer while I prepped my apple pie filling. It was still amazing! Rolled out beautifully, baked up nicely.
Hi Sally,
First time pie baker here – I used this recipe for a quiche, but my blind baked crust turned out sandy / cracked (not flakey), and also the bottom didn’t brown at all, looked very pasty and pale and stuck to my tart dish. I definitely know that I overworked the dough (used a food processor) – wondering where else I went wrong!
I followed your instructions to the T for the pie crust (though overworked the dough) and blind baking (plus egg white wash in the end), using the Le Creuset ceramic tart dish and baking in the upper 2/3 of the oven. Frozen overnight and went straight into the oven. Cracks were showing through the crust, and since the dough was incredibly soft, I wasn’t able to press it flush against the dish – so when I poured the egg in, some did leak through the crack. Quiche baked in the oven at 325 degrees for 40 minutes.
Resulting crust was sandy and cracked. Bottom of the crust was pale and stuck to my dish, while it did have about an hour of oven time, it didn’t look cooked (though I’m sure it was).
I know overworking the dough probably melted the fats through the flour and it affected something – probably the sandy crust. Anyhow, I’m curious to know where I went wrong with those 3 things: Crust was sandy, cracked, and the bottom pale / didn’t look cooked enough and some bits stuck to the plate.
Also, do I need to grease the tart dish before using?
Hi Becky! I’m happy to help troubleshoot. A sandy crust is a result of over-working the pie dough. The fats were incorporated too much into the flour, so both had no chance of creating those wonderful flaky layers. The cracked crust could have been a result of the shortening over-worked into the dough, so the dough itself became very soft and fragile (especially after adding ice water). Lastly, I find that crusts baked in heavy ceramic never brown as nicely as when they’re baked in glass. I always recommend glass pie dishes.
Can I use King Arthur’s White Whole Wheat all purpose flour instead of the regular all-purpose KA flour?
Hi Tamie! You definitely can, but the pie crust will taste dense.
Best pie crust recipe I have ever had. I have tried many recipes over the years and this tops them all. My search is finally over. Thank you!!
I haven’t made a pie in decades. This turned out perfect. I’m going back to it again.
Hello,
Can you use lard with this recipe instead of shortening?
Hi Erin, Lard should work in place of the shortening.
Sally, in order to use coconut oil instead of butter/shortening, would i change the amount measured? Thanks a bunch and Happy Baking!
Hi Chelsea! I haven’t personally tested it but readers who have use the same amount. I cannot guarantee the results. I also have an all butter pie crust recipe you could try.
Hi Sally, I have made your pie crust recipe once before and it turned out great! Today I am making two pies (double the dough) and I think I overworked it and made the fat melt ): is there anyway to recover so I can still have a flakey crust? Thank you!
Hi Lauren! Always best to work with 1 batch of dough at a time. If the dough has been overworked, the fat will incorporate too much and could possibly begin to melt before the dough hits the oven. You can still continue with the dough you made, though.
Hi Sally! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I have made your homemade banana cream pie multiple times and many of my family members enjoy it. I follow all guidelines, paying attention specifically to chilling the ingredients. The one struggle I have is keeping the dough workable when rolling it out with the pin. It breaks apart easily at the edges when rolling it out. It barely reaches the 12 inch diameter requirements. I have added more water to it, but it seems to continue breaking a part.
I use Crisco All Vegetable shortening, Challenge unsalted butter, and Gold Medal all purpose flour. What can I do from this point?
Hi Cherisse! I’m happy to help troubleshoot for your next time. Was the dough tearing because it was too thin and wet? Or because it was too dry and cracking? Either can easily be fixed– try re-rolling into a thicker circle with more flour if it’s too wet or, if it’s too dry and cracking, bring the cracks back together with water moistened fingers.
when I read this recipe, I thought it called for an enormous amount of shortening (3/4 cup to 2 1/2 c flour), but I went ahead and tried it as instructed in the recipe and I was right, way too much shortening, even chilled, it moistened the flour so much that water (I used vodka) was not even needed, really, I only put about of one T. I used one of my favorite flours, King Aurthur, but so much shortening only made it mealy when baked, crumbly, not flakey, it didn’t brown very well, it was a mess, it’s almost impossible to lift after rolling, I wouldn’t recommend this crust recipe. I am an experienced cook, this really made the worst crust I’ve ever made (and I’ve made some pretty bad ones) sorry, but your recipes are interesting, and most look pretty well thought out, except this one.
I respectfully disagree that this is too much shortening for the amount of flour for a pie crust recipe, but sincerely appreciate your feedback! Thanks so much.
I really liked the recipe, I’ve prepared the dough and refrigerated it for a couple of days until I was ready to use for quiche. In my case I’ve used cachaça( sugar cane) instead of vodka ( potato) both very high in alcohol. I just felt it needed a little more water, but I didn’t used so it. So it looked a little more crumbly than yours. I also prefer to stay away of trans fat so I use organic coconut and palm shortening mixed with a delicious Irish butter. Yummy
If I decide to use for pie I should just use less salt?
Thank you very much and I’ll be doing that again.
I finally made successful pie crust! Sally you have no idea how excited I am! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and all of the detailed directions. Many recipes these days don’t provide this amount of detail. I made a pie for pi day and even did that lattice topping. It looked professional!
I have never made a pie before. I used this recipe and it turned out perfect. My family is so proud of me and I owe it all to you. This recipe was all laid out in step by step format and it was easy to follow. Thank you! I won’t even bother trying another recipe. This is now my go-to and I plan on making other pies now that I know I can do it.
Can you please please please make a video showing how to transfer the pie dough into the pie dish? is the step I found most difficult when making a pie 🙁 thank you
Hi Mayra, I use the rolling pin to help transfer the bottom crust. You can see me doing this in the video for my All Butter Pie Crust post starting at the 1 minute 55 second mark. I hope this is helpful!
This is a very good pie crust. Thank you for sharing.
I made your crust today. and it was wow wow wow great Thankyou I filled it apple and cranberry pie filling that I made yesterday on the stove top to use some apples up. Thanks Again
What type or brand(s) of pie baking dishes or pans would you recommend, Sally? Glass is shown in your photo. Just wondering if u have a recommendation, or advice on what to invest in f/ perfect pies every time. I have a glass Pyrex pie shaped dish here (2nd hand, tho, so not f/ sure it’s safe to bake pies in). (would love it if it is)…& a 2nd hand metal pie pan (not aluminum). Thank you!
I always prefer baking pies in glass pie dishes mostly because you can see when the crust has browned around the edges inside the dish (as well as on the bottom). Additionally, glass conducts heat evenly and the radiant heat in the pan also helps the pie crust cook.
I have never had luck making pie crusts come out flaky until I found this one today… I’m in love and will only use this from now on. Thank you…
I made this dough today. I’m not sure what I did wrong but I found the dough had to work with. whenever I tried to roll it out, it tore all the time. I added a little more cold water but that did not help much. Not sure what I did wrong
Hi Lori! Was it tearing because it was too thin and wet? Or because it was too dry and cracking? Either can easily be fixed– try re-rolling into a thicker circle with more flour if it’s too wet or, if it’s too dry and cracking, bring the cracks back together with water moistened fingers.