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 it was first published. Become a pro with this crust recipe and the rest will be as easy as… eating salted caramel apple pie!
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more success tips.
One reader, Laurie, commented: “Wow! I made a batch of my old favorite all-butter dough and a batch of this dough so I could have a ‘bake off’ to see which was better. This crust was fantastic: tender and very flaky. It will be my new standard crust! ★★★★★“
Another reader, Leo, commented: “This recipe was great! The dough was easy to make with the simple and detailed instructions from this recipe. I used it for my peach pie and it’s delicious! I also followed the braid and lattice tutorial and my pie looks great! ★★★★★“
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 or triple berry 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!).
Print
Homemade 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally.
If I want to use vodka for some of the liquid, how much water and how much vodka would you suggest?
Thank you.
Hi Betsy, If you want to try using vodka, use 1/4 cup (60ml) each cold vodka and cold water in this recipe.
Love your flaky pie dough!
I first found this recipe in 2015 and have been using it for every family holiday since! My grandma loves it and begs me to make pie crust every year. When I came back to print a new copy I was startled that at the top of the page it no longer says Unsalted butter but just Butter. However this seems to be a typo! I am super relieved the recipe does still say Unsalted butter as I already purchased it for the holiday season! Thank you for the amazing recipe, and continuing to update us with recommendations to make things even better <3
So glad you enjoy this pie crust, Montana. Thank you so much for trusting our recipes!
Hi Sally,
Could I make the pie shell in the pie plate, then freeze till needed? Thawing overnight in fridge? Trying to get a jump on those pumpkin pies. Par bake after thawing, then fill and bake?
Thank you in advance!
Christie
Hi Christie! Yes, you can definitely shape the pie crust into the pie dish and freeze. Let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking and continue with the baking instructions.
Hi there, a question for you. I want to use my Emilie Henry ruffled ceramic pie dish but the dimensions are 10 1/2″ diam., 2 1/2″ high.
1 1/4-qt. cap. Each time I try this recipe, the crust is too thin or won’t fill this dish and I can’t figure out how tonadjust the recipe tonget a good solid crust to make your Pumpkin Pie recipe. Any suggestions? Many thanks!
Hi Lauren! We would use 3/4 of the dough for a 10.5 inch pie plate. So instead of using half for 1 9-inch pie (recipe yields enough for 2 9-inch pie crusts), use 3/4 of the dough for your size dish – honestly, you could just eyeball it. If you ever need a top AND bottom crust, we would 1.5x the recipe. Hope this helps!
Thank you so much. I will give it a try. I’m also hoping that the ceramic won’t have a different timing need for baking. I have been using the frozen store-bought that come in the foil holders.
I make a lot of pies and sell them, however I have never tried to mix butter and shortening. I just make butter crusts. I would like to try this method…can you use lard in place of shortening?
Hi Phil, we haven’t tested it ourselves, but some readers have reported success using lard in place of the shortening. Let us know if you try it!
Sally can you double this recipe?
Hi Mary! For best results, we recommend making 2 separate batches rather than doubling.
The most I have done with this recipe is tripling it, This was VERY difficult to manage though. I wont do more than a double batch now, but do prefer to do single batches when I have the time!
I am a fan if your all butter pie crust but definitely notice it doesn’t hold its shape as well as this one (after baking).
Another excellent flour choice is Kirkland All Purpose Organic flour. Non enriched and 11.5%+ protein.
Thanks, as always for the best recipes!!
This recipe is AMAZING! It was my first time making a homemade pie crust and it turned out sooo good. The texture, the flavor—everything was perfect. I’m never buying frozen pie crust again. Thank you so much for such an easy, reliable recipe!
Absolute PERFECTION! I blind baked bottom crust for chicken pot pie and covered the top as usual. The bottom crust actually came out a little crispy…WOW – FABULOUS! Of course, the top was flaky, too. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Sally – Can I use beef tallow instead of shortning? We are trying to use less seed oils.
Hi Gabi, some readers have used lard in place of shortening with success, but we are unsure of results using tallow.
Hi Sally! Do you have a particular brand of butter you prefer to use in your recipes? Some brands contain more water than others. Some more salt than others. Just wondering what your thoughts were on this. Thank you!
Hi Deanna! We typically use store-brand butter, unless it’s a recipe where we think it’s noticeably improved by using European butter with a higher butter fat percentage. If that isn’t mentioned, then you can just use any unsalted butter you find at your grocery store! We almost always use unsalted butter so we can control the amount of salt added in the recipe.
Can this be made using white whole wheat flour? What adjustments would you recommend?
Hi Pam, we don’t recommend all whole wheat flour here, but we’ve tried replacing about 1/2 to 1 cup of the all-purpose with whole wheat. (Around 65-125g) and it turns out lovely. Let us know if you try it!
I am make 4 pies – Can I double this recipe?
Hi Lynn, for best results, we recommend making 2 separate batches rather than doubling.
How could I adapt recipe for a 10 inch double crust pie?
Hi Kristin, we would use 3/4 of the dough for a 10 inch pie plate. So instead of using half for 1 9-inch pie (recipe yields enough for 2 9-inch pie crusts), use 3/4 of the dough for your size dish – honestly, you could just eyeball it. If you need a top AND bottom crust, we would 1.5x the recipe.
I’m not sure what I did wrong, I did the ice cold method and thought everything was fine but I guess it was too crumbly because by the time I started rolling the dough out, pieces were coming off and it was very frustrating! I don’t think it was the recipe at all but I’m stuck on what to do.
Hi Jo! If that happens, you can add a bit more water as you work, or the warmth of your hands can help bring the dough together.
Hi Sally, this comment goes not just for the homemade pie crust but mostly for your pumpkin pie recipe (which does not allow comments). How much of the pumpkin pie components (including decorative leaf & cranberry toppings) can I make the day before Thanksgiving and assemble day of? Would it taste less fresh if I made the whole pie the day before? Appreciate your thoughts/suggestions. Thank you!
Hi Mary! See recipe Notes from The Great Pumpkin Pie for make ahead options: “You’ll also begin the pie crust the night before as well (the dough needs at least 2 hours to chill; overnight is best). The filling can be made the night before as well. In fact, I prefer it that way. It gives the spices, pumpkin, and brown sugar flavors a chance to infuse and blend. It’s awesome. Cover and refrigerate overnight. No need to bring to room temperature before baking.” You could make the leaf decorations a day ahead, too. Hope it’s a hit!
Hello! I’m trying to make this recipe dairy free. Do you think using all shortening in the crust would be OK? Thank you!
Hi Cassandra, no, we do not recommend using all shortening in the crust. You could try using a plant-based butter instead, or it may be best to search for crust recipe that was written to be dairy-free. Let us know what you try!
Interesting, can I ask why not? My mom taught me a recipe with all shortening and it’s what I’ve always used – always seemed great to me and always got rave reviews. I’m happy to learn new ways to make it even better and going to try this butter/shortening mix, but certainly all shortening has worked fine for us, (and does make the crust dairy-free and vegan), curious your thoughts?
Hi Emily! Butter makes the crust extra flaky. You can use all shortening but your pie crust will not be as flaky.
I’ve used this pie crust recipe for my Thanksgiving pies the past two years. It’s beautifully easy to work with – however, despite following the recipe precisely, the butter leaks out while the crust is baking. My unbaked crust looks just like Sally’s pictures with the marbled effect from the larger pieces of butter. I keep all my ingredients ice-cold, and keep the crust in the freezer until it is time to bake it. I’ve had the butter melt out during par-baking, leaving actual holes in the bottom of the crust that I had to patch; I’ve also witnessed grease leaking out and boiling in the bottom of the pie plate when the filled pie is baking. It’s so disappointing and I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong! Can you help? I so want this to work. My pies taste great but I’m starting to develop a complex about the crust!
Hi Kathryn! If you have large chunks of fat making holes in your pastry, you may need to work the dough a bit more – cut in the fats until you get smaller pieces. That should help!
Kathryn, I shred my butter for my pie crust. Freeze the butter then shred it into the bowl very quickly. This makes it mix throughout the flour easily. I also use a food processor to bring my flour and butter together with just a few pulses to get to pea size pieces and then slowly add the ice cold water while pulsing the processor until it comes together in one big chunk. If doing by hand, mix flour and butter as usual and then add water accordingly. My crust always comes out super flaky and browns beautifully. Hope this helps. My mom used shortening for pie crusts all the time and they were awesome but I have used just butter for years with no issues. Admittedly, I do not make a lot of pies but happy with the ones I make. Would be fun to experiment side by side to see and taste the difference.
Could I replace the shortening with tallow? Also has a high heat threshold. Your all butter crust is delicious! Thank you!
Hi Andrea, some readers have used lard in place of shortening with success, but we are unsure of results using tallow.
This was only my second attempt at a pie. It was THE BEST apple pie per my husband’s raves! I seem to have one problem both times. Maybe I’m not adding enough ice water (3 tbsps.) The dough doesn’t roll out nice and it always seems skimpy, like I brarely have enough for the lattice top. Any suggestions?
Hi Sandy! We’re happy to help troubleshoot. When you say the dough doesn’t roll out nicely, does it seem too dry/does it crack? If so, it could be that there is not enough liquid in the dough. For next time, you can try adding an additional Tablespoon of water to the dough and that should help it to come together better. If it’s easier to roll out, you should find it to come out closer to the size needed to cover the dish. Hope this helps!
I just made my first I pie crust using this recipe. I am happy with the flavor and flakiness, but it came out pretty thin and fragile, , without enough overhang. Any ideas? It seemed as though the recipe needs a little more of everything. Also, has anyone tried using lard instead of shortening?
Hi Rip! What size is your pie dish? You can always make two batches and combine to have extra dough to work with if your pie plate is a little larger. So glad it turned out for you!
Hi Sally! I noticed in your new cookbook, the pie crust recipe uses only butter, while your online recipe (which I’ve used and loved!) uses butter and shortening. Is one preferred over the other?
Hi Natalie! Great question. The all-butter pie crust from the cookbook can also be found on our website here. If you check the recipe Notes in that post, Sally gives details on the differences between the shortening crust and the all-butter crust. Hope this helps!
Why is my dough sticky
Hi Elaine, If the dough was sticky, it may have had too much liquid added – try adding a bit less next time. And make sure to use flour when rolling it out and handling it to prevent it from sticking and breaking apart.
I really need yo use the food processor because of my arthritic cans is there anyway that you could tell me the approximate number of pulses in a food processor to do this? I really want to taste like my grandmother’s and use both butter and shortening. Thank you.
Hi Sherry, it’s tricky to give a specific number of pulses as it can vary a bit depending on the size of your food processor. It shouldn’t be many—food processors can quickly overwork the dough. If you take a look at the photos in this post, that will give you an idea of the mixture you’re looking for. Hope you love the crust!
iT WAS GREAT BUT i WASN`T! i FINALLYTHROUGH OUT THE BASE TO PUT ON THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE PLATE. IT HAUNTED ME WHEN I SAW THAT I HAD NOT ROLLED IT OUT ENOUGH TO HAVE ENOUGH OVERHANG WHICH ALSO MADE THE CRUST THICKER AND LESS LIKELY TO COME OUT LIGHT AND FLUFFY. i TRIED TO PULL IT OFF THE PIE PLATE AND ROLL IT OUT AGAIN WHICH ONLY MADE IT WORSE. LESSON LEARNED. MEASURE AND STICK TO THE RECIPE!
I have been trying to perfect pie crust making for years. I used this recipe yesterday and my pie crust turned out fabulous!
Great results. Used all butter and kept everything cold and didn’t overwork the pastry when mixing, handling and rolling. Made and then kept in fridge overnight. Used this recipe for Sally’s apple hand pies. Will use this recipe for other pies. Recommend!
Do you use kosher or regular salt in the all butter pie crust?
Hi Terri, we use regular table salt in all of our recipes unless otherwise noted.
Thank you