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 am a retired American ex-pat who splits my time between Italy and France, and I got a powerful hankering for a chicken pot pie last week. I made your recipe yesterday, and I am reminded of the old saw “even a blind pig finds an acorn every now and again”. 🙂 And what an acorn it was! In particular (and I studied long and hard before saying this, because I came from a family of brilliant pie makers), I made what I believe is the finest crust that I have ever tasted…on the first try! Now, I read the above instructions carefully, and while I did not have a pastry cutter, I did have a Braun Kitchenaid/Cuisinart combo with an infinitely adjustable pulse function, so I was able to get the fat into the flour perfectly with a minimum of mixing. In truth, the ingredients available here made all of the difference: butter from Normandy, Italian “00” flour (which apparently has the perfect gluten/protein content for short pastry), sel de Guerande for the salt and the purest, most perfect Italian lard that one can imagine. I went with fat proportions above, which appeared to the naked eye to be roughly 60% butter/40% lard, and I hit the jackpot: the crust was crisp, flaky, tender, rich and delicious! For the filling, the local Italian corn-fed chicken was fantastic, and I had bootlegged in some Normandy milk and cream with 30% mascarpone cheese from France for the dairy. Lastly, the Knorr soup folks make high-end boxed broths and stocks for the Italy market, and for something like pot pie, one is hard pressed to do any better by making one’s own. Add to that the fresh local carrots, potatoes and celery in Italy this time of year, and I had “a recipe for success”. Thanks for a perfect recipe!
I’ve used this before and it turns out a great crust. Question: are you not a fan of adding a little sugar to the dough? I’ve never tried it but I’ve notice some other recipes call for it
Hi Terence! This is a great question. I normally add sugar to pie dough when I make all butter pie crust. The sugar helps break down the butter in the cutting process. (Since there’s so much butter!) Not as necessary here where we are using some shortening.
Omg!! My family raved over this recipe!! It will be my new ‘go-to’- no more evaporated milk! Cannot wait to try more of your recipes!!!
I love this pie crust! I’ve made both all butter and shortening/butter blend. I live in Charleston, SC where lard is readily available for yummy southern cooking. How much lard do you use instead of shortening?
I’m so happy you love it! I would suggest an even swap for the shortening (3/4 cup). Let me know how it turns out!
I definitely have a fear of pie crust. This recipe was successful and best of all crisper nicely. However, mine was a bit crumbly instead of flaky. I did think that I left too many large butter pieces in the dough. Could that be the problem?
Best pie crust I’ve ever made!!! I will forever use this recipe!! Thank you so much
Hi Sally! Can this pie dough recipe be doubled?
Hi Carol! For best taste and texture, I recommend making the pie dough 1 batch at a time. It’s easier to work with 1 batch of dough at a time, too. You don’t risk adding too much or too little liquid that way either.
Used this recipe to make my first pie crust for a razzleberry pie. Crust turned out excellent. Instructions very easy to follow and step-by-step photos are helpful. Pie was delicous and the crust was flaky and so tasty. My family loves pie and especially a good crust. This is a win!
Thank you for the nice recipe.
This recipe is definitely a keeper. I did use a food processor but was careful not to overwork the dough and did not use it for a pie. My mother used to sprinkle butter, sugar and cinnamon on any leftover dough from a pie crust, roll it into a log and bake it. Once out of the oven she sliced the logs and sprinkled with confectioners sugar. I made these a couple of times for my grandchildren using store bought pie crust. They loved them. Well, needless to say, they were a huge hit with your pie crust recipe. Actually, the first word out of my daughter’s mouth was “flaky”. Thank you Sally for another great recipe. I’m making your drop sugar cookies today and will let you know how they turn out.
Hey Sally, in your scone recipes you recommend grating the frozen butter. Would you recommend that approach for pie crust? I’m afraid that my butter chunks are too big. Does that ruin the crust?
Hi Teo, You really want to stick with larger chunks of butter for the best pie crust! You can see in the last photo above how my crust looks marbled with larger pieces of butter – that’s a very good thing in pie crusts 🙂
Hi Sally,
I used this recipe to make an apple pie, and was having some trouble while rolling out the dough. The edges kept cracking with each roll. I know it will do that just slightly, but this was pretty bad. I tried pinching the dough back together, but it just seemed so fragile that when I’d pick it up to put in the pie pan it would tear at the cracks. It also didn’t seem like enough dough to cover a 9 inch pan, so I ended up rolling it out pretty thin to cover the pan. After it finished baking, the crust was very flaky, but to the point where it would just crumble. I think overall it was just too delicate. Would you be able to pinpoint where I went wrong?
Thank you.
Hi Andrea! I’m happy to help. It sounds like the pie dough is simply too dry. If you make the dough again, add more ice water. If the edges are cracking when you roll it out, you can slightly moisten them and just keep putting them back together (you can see me fixing the edges of my crust in the video!).
Wow. Just WOW. I’ve made pies for years, always using the same pie crust recipe, thinking it was the best, in fact, I’ve had many compliments on it…but THIS! This pie crust is totally AMAZING! The crust is flaky and light, and just plain good!
I used lard instead of shortening, and the dough was beautiful to work with! This is my new go to crust recipe!
Love this pie recipe thank you for sharing. Will this work for making mini pies? I am going to try to make mink blueberry pies but unsure if I need to blind bake the crust first.
Thanks!
Yes, you can make mini pies with this crust! Enjoy!
This recipe is amazing! It is so easy and so flaky. Mixing the butter with 2 forks was just too frustrating so I got my hands in there and it worked great.
Thank you so much, this will be going in my recipe book.
What causes crust to shrink and slide down the sides of the baking dish?
Hi Cindy, This is usually a result of overworking the pie dough. Pie dough should only be mixed until the ingredients come together. Don’t use a food processor if you continue to experience pie dough shrinking. Use a pastry cutter. Let it rest for at least 2 hours in the fridge– and if you can let it rest longer, awesome. Better yet, make the pie dough discs a few days in advance so they can rest during that time. Likewise, use gentle force when rolling out pie dough. Roll out very slowly and take your time. Keep the ingredients as cold as possible. You can even freeze the crust for 20 minutes before baking. That always always helps!
This pie got rave reviews from my husband and friends. Thank you!
I have made this pie crust recipe (along with Sally’s pot pie recipe) a few times now and I refuse to go back to the less-than-mediocre refrigerated/frozen pie crusts from the grocery store!! So. Spoiled. Sally’s pie crust recipe yields the most delicious buttery, flaky crust!! This one’s a keeper.
I have been trying to master a deep dish quiche crust for the last year (ok, off & on, but still…). I used the full recipe & it came it out perfectly. This recipe is the first one that gave me a better crust than one that I can buy frozen. Thank you 🙂
Following now to see what other wonderful things you have!
The crust tastes great! It cooks well and my family loves it, but I have trouble rolling out the dough to fit my 9 inch dish. Once I get it big enough to fit, it’s almost too thin to pick up without breaking. Again, the recipe is great and I’ve made a few pies with it already but if you have any tips on rolling out the dough I’d really appreciate it. Thank you! 🙂
Hi Kristen! Happy to help. This crust recipe yields 2 crusts. When I want a thicker crust or if I’m having trouble rolling it out, I use 1.5 crusts. (So, you’re left with dough that is enough for 1/2 of a pie crust– you can freeze it for another time when you need extra dough.) To pick up a thinner pie crust, though, use the rolling pin. You can see me do this in the butter pie crust video: https://route-span.live/all-butter-pie-crust/%3C/p%3E
This was my first pie ever (I actually made two.) I had some crust rolling issues that nearly broke my spirit but the pies were pretty tasty in spite of my shortcomings. I’ve read your pointers on keeping the crust (and myself) together. I was wondering if substituting other fruits is as simple as just that. I was thinking of doing everything the same but using fresh apricots instead of cherries. Am I being foolish?
Hi Troy! So glad you made this pie crust and thank you for sharing! You can definitely substitute apricots for the cherries in my cherry pie. I recommend using 1/4 cup flour instead of cornstarch though.
OMG!!! I will follow you simply because you know that KAF is so much different than any other flour out there. I already was well known for my baking skills in both my family and at my church but when I started using King Arthur Flour exclusively, I never had another baking disaster! You go girl!
Hi Sally,
I’m so excited to try baking a pie from scratch, and your instructions make me feel much more confident. My husband surprised me with a stand mixer and food processor recently. Could I use the food processor in lieu of the pastry cutter, as I don’t have one of those yet?
Do you suggest any particular pies for novices to try first?
Thank you kindly!
Hi Jacquelyn, how fun! You can definitely use a food processor 🙂 I recommend beginning with this recipe: https://route-span.live/homemade-apple-pie-with-chai-spices/ it’s one of my favorites! For a very easy recipe, I love slab pie!
I want to make a chicken pot pie would this work for it?
Hi Kim! Definitely 🙂 I have a recipe for chicken pot pie using this crust recipe!
Easy recipe and delicious crust. I made blueberry pie with this crust and it was the best pie I ever baked. My husband loved it, too. Then I baked Rhubarb pie with All-butter crust and, even though the pie was delicious (Rhubarb Pie is my favourite), the crust was a bit too dense and hard. I prefer the one with Crisco shortening as it was lighter and so flaky.
I’ve always had trouble with pie dough; probably because I need more practice. This, however, was the best pie crust I have ever made. It was indeed flaky, and tender, and delicious, and I wanted another piece of pie so I could eat more crust. This in my new “go to” pie dough recipe. 🙂
Hi, Sally! Is it easy to double this recipe or would you recommend making it just for two crusts? Thanks! Happy Easter
Hi Herica! You can double, but I find results are much more consistent and successful making two batches. 1 recipe yields 2 crusts.
Hi Sally,
Whenever I try to flute the edges on this pie crust, it never holds its shape. Is the crust too thin or warm? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Hi Heather! It’s both, actually. If the pie crust is too thin, it will melt and completely lose its shape. There isn’t enough substance to hold. And when the pie crust is too warm, the butter begins melting even before the pie goes in the oven. This means you lose all the flakiness and structure. I recommend keeping the pie dough on the thicker side. If a thicker crust means using 1.5 crusts for the bottom of 1 pie, do it! (This pie crust recipe yields 2 crusts, so it’s enough for using 1.5 crusts. Save extras in the freezer.)
I’ve made your pie crust twice now, once for your chicken pot pie and today for your deep dish apple pie. It is an excellent recipe! Flaky, buttery, and no soggy bottoms! My problem lies in dividing the dough. If I divide in half, the bottom crust is not enough to cover over the sides. Should I be rolling it out bigger? I use a slip mat with measurements. Or should I just divide it where the bottom crust has more dough? I’m using a 9 inch deep dish pie plate (ceramic).
Hi Connie! I’m so glad you enjoy this pie crust recipe. I suggest using a larger portion for the bottom crust. Maybe closer to 1/3 for the top and 2/3 for the bottom crust. I usually eyeball it and always use the larger portion (if not totally even) for the bottom.
Best pie crust ever! I used to be afraid of making pies, but no more! This recipe makes an easy pie crust that’s absolutely delicious as well. I always use five tablespoons of water instead of eight so I’m glad the recipe says to add it one tbsp at a time instead of all at once because then I’d have a sticky mess, but with the clear instructions it always turns out great.
I made this pie crust yesterday and it turned out great. The shortening, in my opinion, put it over the top. Thanks for another great recipe.