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 |Â 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.
This is the only pie crust recipe I use and it comes out perfect every time! This is the recipe that made me realize I actually *do* like pie crust, just not the frozen kind. Thanks so much for all your wonderful recipes! It’s clear that you put a lot of love into them.
I used this for my Thanksgiving pies. I didn’t have shortening and just used butter for the fat (two sticks). They came out perfectly, baked so well I could lift them out of the pans. I hadn’t made pie crust in years and the last one I made was an oil crust that got a little too crumbly so was just using store bought crusts. This is going to be a favorite going forward.
I also used other recipes from your site for Thanksgiving. I love your recipes!
The instructions were easy to follow. The trouble shooting section was very helpful since I had trouble with my first dough but was able to salvage it with the second. This was my first time every making a homemade pie. I made a pumpkin one for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it. The crust was very flaky and baked very well.
OK… I finally was brave enough to make a homemade pie crust after many yrs of pie making I followed your pie crust recipe and it worked marvelously, all the details and tips really helped. I will never buy a ie crust again…
I cant stop eating the left over filling help it’s so dam good
This is my new go-to crust recipe. Thanks for using metric weights. FYI, I use type 0 flour and it worked well. My crusts have often been hit or miss with many tears, but I was very happy and sunny while using this recipe.
Definitely fantastically flaky! Wondering if you have advice for butter melting out and causing a slightly smokey oven? Have you had that problem?
Hi Kenzie, I’m just seeing your question now. Did the butter melt off the edge? The dough may have gotten too warm during the rolling step. Placing a baking sheet on the rack below can help.
I first made this recipe last year, my first time making my own pie crusts. Fantastic! I didn’t know it would be such a massive difference compared to store-bought. Absolutely in a different league, though. This year I’m more confident in myself, and they turned out even better. Highly recommend.
Hi! Just pulled two pecan pies out of the oven and used this recipe for the crusts! How do I tell if the bottom of the crust is done? I forgot to lower the rack :/
This pie crust was delicately flaky and crisp. Truly met my expectations.
This crust is perfection
Ugh! I only have salted butter! Thought I had purchased unsalted. Will this mess things up?
Hi Susie, if using salted butter, you can reduce your added salt to 1/2 teaspoon.
About how long should I bake the crust for? My pie recipe says to make the crust ahead of time and then pour the filling on after it has baked
Hi Lyla! The bake time will depend on the recipe you’re making. Here’s our guide to blind-baking crust – it sounds like that may be what your recipe is asking you to do.
It is the day before Thanksgiving 2023. I have committed to bringing two pecan pies to the family table. I decided to try your recipe for these pies. I have made pie crust for over 50 years, but never did the butter/crisco mix. Well, it worked like a charm. So very pleased. I have a 6 cup Cuisinart processor. I followed your directions and “voila,” I had pie crust. Like you I store my butter in the freezer. I also put my Crisco sticks in there, but agree it is rather soft frozen. I chopped it all into 1/2 inch cubes. I pulsed it maybe 2-3 minutes until it was roughly cut in. Then I processed it steadily until it rolled into almost one ball. Took it out, put it on my silicone pastry sheet. Cut it in half. Then rolled out two beautiful pie crusts. The pies are baking in the oven now. Thank you so much!
Hi! Getting ready to roll out this dough and wasn’t sure if I need to prick with fork once it’s in the pie dish?
Hi Heather, you do not have to prick it with a fork unless your pie filling recipe calls for it. I usually only prick it with a fork (dock it) when par-baking.
Hi! My grandmother passed away this year. She was a renowned baker amongst her friends and family. I decided to use her pie crust recipe to honor her this Thanksgiving. But, she was such an expert baker that her recipe was pretty much a list of ingredients without much direction for each step. I went to the internet in hopes of finding something that might help me because I am NOT a seasoned baker. I was delighted to read your pie crust recipe and discover some of the exact verbiage as in my grandmother’s sparse notes. Thank you so much for sharing your baking wisdom with the world! You are bringing a lot of joy to countless families! XO
Hi Miss Jackson, thank you so much for the sweet note. We’re happy to hear you found the post helpful, and we hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, too!
I tested this recipe in my 8″ pie plate and really liked it. Do you have the ingredient quantities for a 9.5″ deep dish pie plate?
Hi Jennifer, we’re glad you enjoyed it! We use this recipe often in a 9.5-inch pie dish often with no changes to the recipe.
I loved this recipe! I tried measuring by weigh first but found that the dough gets really mushy before adding water. Therefore, I tried measuring by cup instead and the dough was perfect.
I’m getting ready to make several pies tomorrow using your crust recipe but I am wondering if I need to grease and flour my pie plate first? I’m going to be making several types of pies, including pecan which is very high sugar content, so I’m also wondering if I need to dust the inside of the pastry with more flour to prevent breakthrough in the bottom crust. Thank you so much!
Hi Val, we do not typically grease our pie dishes before adding the crust—there is enough fat in the crust to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the dish. We haven’t found that flouring step necessary with pecan pie before. Happy pie baking!
Hi Sally , have you ever made the pie with Gluten free flour? ( Bob’s Red Mill) Can I just substitute?
We haven’t tested this pie crust recipe with gluten free flour, so we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you do!
Hi Sally and tram, I love yourcsite and recipes but have struggled with pie crust. I used this recipe but it did not make enough dough for me to fit my pie dish. I’m wondering if we might know what caused that. Might it be too much fat or maybe the fat isnt small enough. Thanks for any thoughts.
Hi Hal, this recipe yields enough for 2 crusts (for a 9-inch pie dish–are you using a larger size by chance?), so if it’s not fitting it’s likely that the fats haven’t been broken down enough. You’ll want the dough to look like coarse meal. You’ll still want those specks of fat visible in the pie dough (that’s what gives the crust it’s flaky layers!), but working it in just enough will ensure the pie crust rolls out properly. Hope this helps!
I am known for my baked goods but have ALWAYS been terrified of pie crust. This crust was AMAZING. I followed everything exactly as directed and now have a beautifully latticed apple pie ready for eating at Thanksgiving. THANK YOU SALLY!!
How important is it to have a marble surface to roll out the pie crust?
Hi Christie, marble is helpful because it stays cool, but any clean, cooler, well-floured work surface will do!
Hi Sally! I am planning on making x2 pecan pies for this Thanksgiving holiday.
Wanting to make sure everything is perfect, I just want to ask: Is it okay if I use a 9.5 inch pyrex glass pie plate (i only have 9.5)?
I noticed the recipe asks for a 9 inch pie plate, but the linked pie plate is 9.5in.
I understand the pie crust mentioned makes enough for two pies, will the pie crust recipe be enough to fit two 9.5 inch pie plates?
This is my first time making a pecan pie ever so I wanted to make sure everything I use is exactly as mentioned!
Thank you!
Hi Alanna! Yes, it should be just fine. Let us know how your pies go!
Nope not fine. This just doesn’t yield enough crust. And no, I’m not a pie newbe
Can you use powder vegetable shortening?
Hi Tobi, we don’t have any experience working with powder vegetable shortening so can’t offer much advice. Let us know if you give it a try!
I followed directions SO carefully. I could see bits of butter and shortening in the dough so felt good when I made it into a disk and put it in the fridge to chill. I chilled 4 hours. Rolled out as instructed and could still see butter and shortening when I put it in the pie pan. Pricked well with a fork and chilled again for 30 minutes in the pan then straight into oven @ 425 for about 14 minutes. Shrinkage was horrible. I don’t know what else to try. I took pics all along and wish I could show them to you. I’m so disappointed!
Hi Susan! Are you blind baking the crust? You’ll need to use pie weights to prevent shrinkage. Here’s our guide to blind baking crust.
Confused about flour weight — isn’t 2.5 cups of flour equal to 300g? Why is it listed as 315g? Thanks!
Hi Travis! We measure one cup flour to be about 125g.
Ah ok, thanks! I’m making Sally’s blueberry pie for Thanksgiving, but trying homemade crusts for the first time. Love all of Sally’s recipes and videos!
Hi Sally I noticed that you have changed the amount of shortening from 3/4 cup to 2/3 cup why the change, thank you
Hi Mike, that’s correct. I’ve noticed that shortening has changed over the years (not sure if it truly has, but this recipe was no longer working consistently with that amount). Around 2019, I reduced the amount down. What you see now works much better; 3/4 cup was simply too much.
Thank you, speaking of salt, if I am using salted butter and kosher salt can I stay at 1 tsp or should I back off to 3/4 or 1/2 tsp of kosher salt, I think I saw that you recommend 1/2 tsp if using regular table salt and salted butter, thank you.
Hi Mike, if using salted butter, you can reduce your added salt to 1/2 teaspoon.
Tried, but recipe failed, I think the ratios are wrong. Used salted butter & the additional 1¼ t. Salt made it too salty for a dessert crust IMO
Hi! Be sure to use unsalted butter. The amount of salt to use is 1 teaspoon. It sounds like you may have used more salt.
Pie crust recipe is easy and quickly made. My fir two crust are in the refrigerator waiting on my apple pie! Thank you!
Hello! I have made this recipe before and it has turned out wonderful. I an wondering if it is possible to use vegan butter as a substitute for regular butter
Hi Layla, we haven’t tested it ourselves, so we’re unsure of the results using vegan butter. Let us know if you do give it a try!
Hi Sally,
Have used many of your recipes over the years. Tried this one. I used unsalted butter, white lily, crisco (seemed very soft) it was chilled & 3 TBL ice water.
It was a disaster, took 9 times to get it so it wouldn’t fall apart transferring it to the pan. The texture was very soft almost like sugar cookie dough. The weather here has been damp which I have noticed can affect recipes. It seemed like an awful lot of shortening. 2/3 cup? 6 TBL butter?
After cooked the dough didn’t seem like it held together well. All ingredients were fresh.
Please email me. I am stumped. I’ve made pies for over 20 years & never had this happen. I blame the shortening. It’s just too soft anymore. It’s like, “room temp butter soft” even chilled in the fridge
Hi Jennifer, that doesn’t seem like enough water. I usually use 8 Tablespoons of water. Was the shortening chilled in the refrigerator? If the dough was very soft, sprinkling a little more flour on top will help as you roll it out.