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.
Hi Sally,
I used your recipe for the buttery / shortening mix crust last night. I only had some earthbalance baking sticks for the shortening. The crust turned out beautifully and tasted so good in my double crust chicken pot pie. Most certainly the best pie crust I’ve made. Thank you. PS I was rushing and I didn’t have time to chill before rolling out, everything was perfect though and I was able to fold the dough and lift it to my glass pie dish.
I thought I followed your instructions with 6 T butter and 3/4 c shortening (I used ghee). I baked at 375 for 15 minutes (I blind baked with rice ) and the bottom of the pie shell is greasy–too much fat???
Hi Ann, sounds like you followed the recipe correctly. It may just need a few more minutes in the oven!
Hi Sally, I’m looking for something that is dairy-free. Could I do an all-shortening crust? Would you recommend replacing the 6 tbs butter with 6 tbs shortening or doubling the 3/4 C shortening?
Hi Alison, You can use all shortening but your pie crust will not be as flaky. You can also make a pie crust with lard if you can find it.
Hi Sally, I just want to say I absolutely love this recipe; I find the crust always comes out flakey and not tough at all, everyone loves it. I do however have a question however; after chilling the dough I always have a really hard time rolling the dough out. It’s always cracking on me and I try my best to go slow and fix the cracks as I’m rolling but the last pie I made I just gave up and honestly started packing the crust into the pan. The crust surprisingly still turned out quite well, but it just made the decorating part a lot more difficult, especially with the lattice top. Do you let the chilled dough sit out at room temperature for a while before rolling? Any other tips to make rolling it out easier?
Love your recipes, thanks so much!
Hi Trae, We are so happy you love this recipe! If the dough is just too hard right out of the refrigerator, let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. It will still be cold, but even a few minutes at room temperature will help soften it up. Roll out very slowly and gently. If the edges are cracking, use your hands to bring the edges back together. (We always use our fingers to “meld” any cracks back together– as if it were play doh.) If it’s cracking, the dough may not have enough liquid. We highly recommend at least 1/2 cup of ice water. Most pie dough problems come from not adding enough water. I hope all of this can help for next time!
Hello! I saw that you mentioned not having a recipe for a gluten free pie. I have a lot of friends that are gluten free for one reason or another, and I’ve found a lot of success baking with gluten free flour and xanthan gum. I don’t have a pie recipe (yet!), but if you wanted to experiment, that might be a good place to start. Gluten free flour is usually 1 to 1 for normal flour, and the xanthan gum usually has recommendations for amounts on the back depending on what you’re making.
Just a thought!
Thanks for the tip, Shelley!
amazing pie crust! I have made it multiple times and each time it works perfectly
How can I increase this recipe so that I could make it fit into a 12 inch pie pan instead of a 9 inch pan?
Thank you
Hi Liza! You’ll need about twice the amount of dough for that sized pie pan. If you only need a bottom crust, the recipe as written (makes 2 9 inch pie crusts) will be perfect.
Do Crisco butter flavored baking sticks work well as the the shortening or is it better to use the all vegetable shortening sticks along with the real butter?
Yes, they work for even more buttery flavor. Enjoy!
Hi Sally,
I tried making a pie crust for the first time the other day using this recipe. I substituted lard for the vegetable shortening as I had it on hand. I also made the pie crust in a 6 mini pie(s) pan. Although the crust was picture perfect, it was not tender. If I use lard again, can you tell me the ratio to use to butter and if the cook time needs to be adjusted for the “mini” pie crusts? Any other thoughts? Thanks so much!
Hi Cristin, lard should work in place of the shortening without any other changes. Make sure your fats are very cold prior to beginning and to just bring the dough together (without overworking it) to ensure a tender crust. You could also try using vodka in the place of water – see blog post for details!
Easy to roll out and transfer. Very flaky. Turned out so good with your quiche recipe!! Thanks for sharing.
This is probably a really stupid question, but I’ve never made pie before so stupid I am… what temperature should the oven be preheated to and cook at for blueberry pie? I’m making them in large muffin tins (individual pies)? Help?
Hi Suzanne! We usually bake our pies at 350°F (177°C).
Hi Sally (and friends)!
I’ve been looking for a chocolate pie crust, I’ve found a few, but I just wanted to see (because your blog NEVER lets me down) if you had anyways you could change this recipe for a chocolate pie crust, I would be grateful.
Hi Emma! Here’s our chocolate pie crust recipe.
Hi Sally, I made this recipe and it was delicious!! Only issue I had was the the crust on the edges was crumbly rather than flaky. Also, after chilling in fridge, it cracked in the middle when rolling out. It came together, but not sure why that happened too.
Still amazing flavor and I would make again, just want to know if there is a reason for the above.
Thank you for the great recipes
Hi Joan! If you are experiencing a crumbly crust, the dough may have been over-worked and/or it was too dry. Don’t be afraid to add more ice water until the dough clumps together and feels a little moist. Keep the fats as cold as possible, use a pastry cutter to cut in the fats by hand, and don’t overwork them. You want little pieces of cold butter throughout. Hope this helps!
My mother was always a die hard lard fan and would never use anything else-but I would love to try your shortening/butter method. I love your video. Very complete and easy to understand!
I’m having issues with my crust shrinking down any recommendations? Thanks!
I don’t have shortening. Can coconut oil be substituted?
Hi Sharon, some readers have substituted solid and cold coconut oil. However, you may enjoy our all butter pie crust instead.
Hi Sally! Do you have any recommendations when it comes to the shortening? I always end up with cubes of it in my pie dough when I wrap it for chilling. I’m from Australia and the only ones readily available are solid blocks made from coconut oil.
Hi Amariah, it sounds like the dough could benefit from a little more mixing– I recommend working the fats into the dough a little more before adding the ice water. I usually use Crisco brand vegetable shortening. Do you have that available? You may enjoy our all butter pie crust instead.
I know this is a bit late, but I live in Australia too and am familiar the coconut oil shortening you are talking about. Copha isn’t the sort of shortening referenced in this recipe. They don’t sell American style shortening in grocery stores in Australia, but you can get it in specialty cake decorating stores, or you can order it online. If you really want to use Copha you would need to grate it rather than trying to blend it with knives or a pastry cutter. Just keep in mind that it would have an impact on the flavor of the finished pie crust. American shortening has no real flavor, while Copha really tastes like coconut.
Hi Sally! Is there anything that can be substituted for the vegetable shortening? Thank you!
Hi Karina, if you don’t have vegetable shortening available, we recommend using our all-butter pie crust instead!
Hi Sally, when you made your all butter experiment did it shrink more than your butter-shortening recipe?
Hi David! Here’s our all butter pie crust recipe – no issues with shrinking if followed closely!
I made my first apple pie from scratch about a month ago with this recipe and my whole family raved about it. My brother-in-law’s birthday is in about a week and he asked me to make another one for his birthday because he loved it so much. Thank you for this wonderful, fool-proof recipe!
Hey Sally, could you prepare the entire pie and let the apples (or blueberries etc) sit in the crust in the fridge the day before you cook it?
Hi Suzanne! We don’t recommend it as the crust may get soggy. See make ahead instructions in the recipe notes of our apple pie recipe for some make ahead options.
I have made many crusts in the past. I took this recipe and added vanilla vodka with water and froze it for 15 minutes.
I sifted the flour with the salt. Added the fat and pastry blended until pea size crumbles. Then froze it for 15 minutes. Then took the flour and water and mixed as directed with my hands. It did take more than a 1/2 Cup of liquid. I do use a metal pie shield.
Loved the mixture of water and Vodka and Shortening and Butter.
*NOTE: Always use the ebst ingredients possible for the best results. No shortcuts!
I have the exact same problem as most of the bakers. Followed the recipe to the tee…it was impossible to roll out. I pieced it together best I could but it was an epic fail. Are you sure the amount of fat is correct? 6 Tablespoons AND 3/4 lb. of shortening is a lot , for only 2.5 cups of flour.
Hi Mary! The recipe reads correctly with 6 Tbsp butter and 3/4 cup (not pounds) of shortening. If you over-work the butter and shortening into the flour OR if either are too warm, the dough will seem wetter faster. Keep the fats extra cold and only work in until you have pea-size crumbles (a few larger chunks is ok).
Thanks for this recipe and I love the combo of butter and shortening to give that great buttery flavor. I’ve made it 4x now. Question, I never seem to be able to roll out into a large enough round to have extra to fold under and flute the edge. I like to get 2 whole crusts out of the recipe. Any tips or ideas?
Hi Courtney! You can multiply the recipe by 1.5x to roll the crusts larger and have extra at the edges for fluting. Enjoy!
DOUGH IS SO SOFT AND TEARS SO EASILY! This dough actually had great texture. Flaky, buttery all that. However it is soooooo soft that it just tears and breaks and I’ve found it impossible to transfer to any pie plate. I’ve made this recipe twice already and I am not a novice baker my any means! Is it just me?
Hi Jamie! Try to roll the dough out a little thicker. It may be tearing because it’s rolled out too thin. If it’s tearing because the butter in the dough is melting, pat more flour on top of it. If it’s tearing because it seems too dry, moisten your fingertips with water to dab onto the dough. (It might be thirsty!)
Crust came out great! I was wondering if you have tried the recipe with butter flavored shortening? I used regular shortening and wondered if replacing it with butter flavored would add to flavor or give a more artificial flavor?
This is the best pie crust recipe i have ever baked, great texture and flavor i used all butter next time i will try shortening and butter. I received lots of compliments from my family on the flakey pie crust.
I have been pie crust avoidant due to many bad bakes, but this detailed recipe gave me success and now pie crust confidence! I followed the recipe exactly and rolled the dough between parchment paper. It was wonderful, flaky, and even had leftover crust to make little cinnamon and sugar pinwheels, just like my mom used to do. Thanks Sally!
Can I use whole wheat pastry flour for this recipe?
Hi Patti, We strongly recommend all-purpose flour in this pie crust. You can try to search for a whole wheat pie crust recipe alternative. It won’t be a 1:1 switch in our recipe. Let us know if you find a good one!
Love the recipe to use both for flaky crumbly balance!
I use my 20 MINUTE PREPARATION START TO BAKE METHOD with NO DOUGH refrigeration before rolling method and it works GREAT on this recipe with no other changes required:
I add the following to the freezer for 12-13 minutes as soon as I measure it out:
I cube the butter and place in small SS bowl so it’s spread out
Large SS mixing bowl w/flour AND NO SALT!
SS measuring cup with shortening (I use lard)
glass measuring cup with water and salt added to water with one small ice cube to allow it to get super-chilled (below 32 without freezing).
I let everything sit in freezer and flour counter and have rolling pin ready as well as glass pie plate. I use the 12-13 minutes with everything in freezer to make pumpkin/fruit filling.
Then take everything out of freezer at once and and very quickly mix and roll out dough.
The dough is chilled enough that it does not require refrigeration before rolling, with no chance it will warm up enough to stick to counter or to have butter pieces start to melt.
As soon as I have it rolled in glass pie plate and crust formed, I put the pie plate back in the freezer for another five minutes to re-harden the butter chunks for extra flakes while I finish preparing the filling. I then take it right out of the freezer, fill and and bake immediately.
This will have same end result and REQUIRES NO WAITING and I can have pie from walking in kitchen to placing into oven with a total time of under 30 minutes with no pre-prep!
Thank you very much! i followed it step-by-step and worked perfectly ✨the level of detail and the kind and fun tips are remarkable. I wish you have a tiktok account to follow you because is the only social media i use but well, thanks! ✨