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.
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.
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! ★★★★★“
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 | 9-inch Pie Dish | 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
I’m making this for a second time. The first time came out great, but I watched the video this time, so I’m excited to nail it for real this time! It was my first ever pie crust, for my first ever homemade quiche! It came out great. I used your spinach and goat cheese recipe, also killer!
Could I swap the crisco for coocnut oil?
Some readers have done that and have had success. Just make sure it is very cold, and it wouldn’t hurt to chill the flour/salt in the refrigerator for a bit as well.
Just curious
Why don’t you use a egg in your pie crust?
Will be making this tomorrow. For freezing one of the crusts……would I roll out the crust and freeze in a baking dish or just leave it wrapped in plastic wrap and roll out after it thaws?
Hi Diane! The second option is best – leave it wrapped in a disk and roll after thawing.
HI ! Question for anyone who may have done this already, or Sally! When making my third batch of this crust, separately as instructed, I started adding the iced water too soon and hadn’t incorporated the salt/flour and shortening and butter. The result is that I have dough with bigger clumps of the fat than the other two batches have. I didn’t want to overwork the dough, so I left it as-is and refrigerated my discs. Should I toss this batch or will it be okay enough for a pie? I’m out of shortening, so my option is to try the all-butter crust. Which would you recommend? Salvage (and how) or toss it and try the all-butter?
Hi Christine! Just so you don’t waste your time and end up with dough that just is not working, I think it’s best to start over with the all-butter crust. Maybe make the all butter dough so you have it for safety, and then you could try the other dough. If the other dough does end up working out, you can freeze the all butter pie dough discs!
Love this recipe! Can you use it for pumpkin pie?
Yes! It’s what we use for pumpkin pie.
Hi Sally, do you have any suggestions for a good shortening? I looked at the ingredients in crisco and that’s a no go.
I really like Spectrum brand shortening.
I followed every step to the letter and made a blueberry pie. When I went to turn down the temperature from 425 to 375 after the first 25 minutes, I saw that the edges and middle lattice had already burned. Any suggestions for what I should adjust the next time I try to bake a pie with this recipe?
Hi Tiffany, see the recipe note about using a pie crust shield and make sure the oven rack is adjusted to the lower third of your oven. Hope that helps for next time!
Is this pie crust recipe enough for a one layer deep dish pie?
Yes!
I a little confused. If this makes 2 regular pie crusts, do I use all of it for the deep dish? I’ve never made the deep dish crust before.
Thank you,
Sheri
So I was wondering what I could use as a substitute for shortening? If you have a preference? Thanks!!
Hi Hayo! Lard or ghee can work, or here’s our all butter pie crust recipe.
I want to make a deep dish apple pie for Thanksgiving. Is this recipe a good one for deep dish?
Here’s our deep dish apple pie recipe, Aileen!
Can you use avacado or coconut oil for the shortening in your apple pie crust?
Hi Helena, some readers have substituted solid and cold coconut oil, but we haven’t tested it.
I’ve heard adding baking powder will keep the crust from shrinking. What are your thoughts on this and what amount would you suggest?
Hi Marie, I haven’t tried that before but now I’m curious. I’m unsure where I’d start. Thank you for sharing and I can’t wait to research it!
Hi Sally,
Thank you for your tutorials, this helps so much in prep. I am making your pumpkin pie recipe and this video is for the apple pie. I read that you should cook the pumpkin pie dough a bit before adding the filling… Is there a tutorial for that recipe?
Hi Karen! You can find a video tutorial for our pumpkin pie recipe in the recipe card (or click the “jump to video” button at the top of the post).
I am making apple pie! How long do I bake this for and what temperature?
Hi Safa, we can’t speak for other recipes, but you can find the baking time, temperature, and instructions for our favorite apple here. Happy baking!
I’m so looking forward to trying this recipe, it sounds amazing and I love all the happy reviews! I’m wondering if anyone has tried making this pie crust with Gluten Free flour, and if so, how it turned out! I’m most likely going to wing it and hope it tastes as good as (or close to) the original recipe, high hopes I know Also, in your opinion, would the pie crust or all butter crust taste better with the peach pie crumble?
We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, so we’re unsure of the results. Perhaps other readers who may have tested it can chime in! And either this recipe or the all butter pie crust would be fantastic — it’s really up to you!
I weighed all the ingredients and used a little more than 1/2 cup water but my dough only weighed 645g in the end. Will this still be enough for two pie crusts? What went wrong?
Hi Simone! If you followed the recipe you should have enough for two crusts. Happy baking!
Is this pie crust good for hand pie.
Yes, absolutely!
I’m struggling with this pie crust. If I use my hand-grater, my chunks of butter and shortening seem to be too big. I’m careful to not “overwork” the dough, but the big chunks seem to just leave gaping holes in the crust when par bake the shell. I’m wondering if using the food processor to cut in the fats and then transfer to mixing in the water by hand would be better? I’ve made this, successfully, a few times in the past but always seems to have too large chunks of fat despite hand-mixing my arm off. 🙁 When I did make it successfully, I used 2-3T ice cold vodka and water for the rest. The flakiness and taste was awesome – I just need to overcome this “what’s too large a chunk of fat” thing.
Hi Kathleen! If you have large chunks of fat making holes in your pastry, you can definitely work the dough more – cut in the fats until you get smaller pieces. The video above may be helpful as well!
Realizing I’ve got salted butter. Simply omit salt? Thx 🙂
Hi Jessica, if using salted butter we would use about 1/2 teaspoon of salt instead of 1 teaspoon. Good luck and happy baking!
Hi, I ‘m wanting to make a sweet potato pie with this crust. Do I need to par-bake the crust to be sure it browns on the bottom before adding the filling?
Hello! It can depend on the recipe, but we don’t par-bake the crust for our sweet potato pie 🙂
I have been using this recipe for years now and my family and friends beg me to make pies for every holiday. This thanksgiving I have 20-30 I have to do alone!! I’m excited but I wanted to know if you were able to use a stand mixer or any tips on making this process a little faster.
Hi Tori! A food processor would work best, but be very careful not to over-mix the dough.
Hi Sally, I was wondering if the butter and shortening should be placed in the freezer or in the refrigerator before mixing them into the flour? Thanks!
Hi Laura, that certainly wouldn’t hurt! Cold ingredients are key here.
I have a friend who swears substituting some vodka for some of the water makes the crust flakier. Have you ver tried that?
Yes, we have! If you want to try using vodka, use 1/4 cup (60ml) each cold vodka and cold water in this recipe.
Hi, I love this pie crust recipe! Was wondering if I can double it as I’m making 2 apple pies.
Thanks,
Maryann
Hi Maryann, instead of doubling the recipe (which would be easy to over-work), we would make 2 separate batches of this pie dough.
Sally did mention that in her tutorial. I just might try that! And thank you Sally for such a detailed tutorial — all of your descriptions and photos are so helpful!!!
I have always struggled with pie crust UNTIL this recipe. This is the best I’ve ever tried. NOW if I can just roll it out round instead of a rectangle!! practice makes perfect, I see a lot of pies in my husband’s future.
I love buttery crusts – could I use butter flavor crisco, instead of plain?
Absolutely!
The very best recipe for a flaky crust I ever had baked. It’s the 3. time I’m using this recipe, and it’s still working very well. It’s really an important thing that you don’t need to make a blind baking, if you want to make a lattice pie crust, and have to work cool with the dough.
So this recipe is really helpful.
It’s also very helpful that one can go deeper in the ‘workflow’ when there is mental ‘room’ for comparing your own experiences with all the valuable notes from the authors experiences.
This make it all really helpful – thanks!! 🙂
Excellent recipe. I especially appreciate the detailed instructions you always provide, including how long things last and under what conditions. Just one question: King Arthur Unbleached AP Flour weighs 120 grams per cup. If my arithmetic is right, 2 1/2 cups weighs 300 grams (120 + 120+ 60) but the recipe calls for 315 grams of flour. How much flour should I use? Thank you.
What do you use for shortning ??
Hi Margie! We usually use crisco, but any kind will work.
Hello! Looking forward to trying this recipe for the first time. I’m wondering, would using frozen grated butter work just as well as cubing it?
Thank you!
Hi Kathleen, You can use frozen butter and grate it for this pie dough. However, you’ll still need to cut it in. You can use a fork and mix very well.
I am making hand-held chicken pies for a party. Any special adjustments? Could I roll the dough out into the individual discs a couple of days ahead (kept in fridge, of course) then do the assembly and baking just before the event?
I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Hi Marcia! That shouldn’t be an issue as long as you keep the dough covered/sealed up to prevent it from drying out in the fridge.
I became a fan of Sally when I stumbled on this recipe years ago. It is truly the best, and I could not agree more that the combo of butter and shortening is the only way to go. I have tried all butter a few times and keep coming back to this old friend.
Have used basically the same recipe for years and love it. I quit looking for a better pie recipe. I like to use half butter and half shortening also. If you want to take your pie crust up a very small higher notch try adding a tablespoon of powdered sugar to the flour and salt mixture.
Trying to troubleshoot a problem Sally! I’ve made this 10x now, once it turned out PERFECT. Now, everytime I go to roll it out after Refrigerating it cracks very badly. I can’t roll it out thin enough to even fit a standard pie dish because of the cracking and breaking. The picture of what the halves look like, before wrapping and refrigerating, are identical to mine. It seems as though it nots moist enough, but I almost always use more than the 1/2 cup recommended ice water. I follow the recipe to a “T” could my wooden rolling pin be the culprit? Everything is cold, I don’t work the fats too much, my latest attempt I barely cut the fats in hoping that would solve my problem. Dough was wet enough to feel sticky before wrapping, but then it was dry and falling apart 2.5 hours later while trying to roll out. Any help appreciated!
Hi Bridgette, I’m glad to help and I’m sorry you are having so much trouble! I would continue doing everything you’re doing, but try removing 1-2 Tablespoons of shortening. That could definitely help. And when you roll it out, dip your fingertips in cold water and use them to help meld the cracks back together.
I keep kosher, which means that I make all desserts without dairy or meat products. Will margarine (or other non-dairy butter alternatives) work in lieu of butter?
Hi Brooke, You can use all shortening but your pie crust will not be as flaky.
I was going to ask the same question. It would have been nice if she had actually answered the question of margarine instead of butter!
Hi Cheryl, We don’t recommend margarine as it has very different baking properties (and flavor!). It would be best to use more shortening in place of butter.