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 like the look of this recipe. I think it will be a good crust for the pie I am making!
I have tried many pie crust recipe’s in my life, the best one I ever came across was in the Navy off the coast of Vietnam in 1968. The recipe called for 10 pounds of flour, 3 pounds of sugar, 2 pounds of fake butter, hand full of salt, mix well in large cement mixer we had. Shoot, it came out pretty good too. Now days, I can’t make my pie crust nice and flakey, turns out hard to the point I scrap the pie filling off the crust and eat it that way. So here goes, going to try this one and it sounds good. Maybe if I rock the kitchen like the ship did, it would turn out like in 68, hold on we will see.
I don’t have parchment paper or pie weights… can I use aluminum foil and another smaller glass dish on top?
That should be fine!
This crust is great. Here is my stupid story though! I made two batches (separately), and started by chilling the lard while I cut in the butter. Unfortunately I then forget about the lard and made the pastry without it! I didn’t realize until I was starting the second batch, and then it made sense why the first batch needed a bit more water than expected. I rescued it by rolling it out and spreading the lard (pressed into flakes) over the surface, then cutting and stacking the dough until I had a stack of 16 layers of pastry+lard and then rolled it out one more time. The result was actually delightful. It had robust crispy flaky layers, whereas the second batch (which was made properly) had very fine melty layers halfway to being shortcrust. Maybe I will try the “wrong” way again some time!
Do you think a plant-based butter would work in this recipe? I’m always looking for recipes I can easily convert to vegan-friendly.
Hi Sarah, we haven’t tested it ourselves, so we’re unsure of the results using vegan butter. Let us know if you do give it a try!
I’ve been using this pie crust recipe for almost 5 years now, and I ALWAYS get compliments on my pie crust! It’s not too thick or dry, but perfect and flakey!
My go-to pie crust
Hi! I live overseas and the only butter I am able to buy is European style. I have made this recipe many times and love the flavor and texture, however I have consistently had a problem with the fluted edges of the pie basically melting when I bake it! The edges totally lose their shape and droop downward. It still tastes delicious, but it is not aesthetically pleasing at all! Do you think this issue is because of the higher butterfat content in European butter? Do you have any advice? I cannot seem to troubleshoot this! Thank you!!
Hi Anna, European style butter is wonderful in cooking, but we find it’s difficult to use in baking recipes– especially pie crust. Its higher fat percentage, while making the butter tasty, creates too much grease in doughs and is likely the culprit for your crust troubles. It may be best to search for a pie crust recipe that was specifically written for European style butters. Let us know if you find one you love!
Love this recipe. It was a real hit with my family.
like to use the crust to make mini quiches in a muffin tin. Would you recommend any changes to the recipe itself? And what would you recommend as the baking time?
Hi Lynn, we have a recipe for mini quiche. Enjoy!
Do you have measurements for a 10″ pie crust? I also have a deep dish pottery pie plate form Poland that is 9 1/2″ and 2″ deep.
Do you just make extra dough for these larger pies?
Thanks,
L
Hi Luanne, 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 a cooking enthusiast but a baking novice, and I know this recipe is a fan favorite. I do have a question, though … how come the dough recipe doesn’t include any sugar or sweetener? I’m not doubting it at all (I’m actually excited to try it!), I’m just curious to understand the reasoning behind it.
Hi Rob, we use this crust as written for sweet & savory pies, but you could add 1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar with the dry ingredients. Let us know if you give it a try!
I don’t have a glass pie dish. I only have the dark metal pie pans. What is the cooking time and temperatures for that type of pan? I’ll be partially blind baking for your lemon meringue pie.
Thank you for your assistance
Hi Adam, same temperature, although the baking time may be a bit shorter. Keep a close eye on it. Enjoy!
I have to make some 10 inch pies, will this crust work as printed?
Hi Jack, 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.
Hi Sally!
I am so glad to find your site. NO ADS! Thank you for that. You are so thorough in your description of how to make things. I can’t wait to try your peach cobbler recipe. My son’s been asking for it and I lost my old recipe. Yours sounds perfect!
Easy peasy, came together fine and rolled out perfect. I use cling free on the bottom and top. No extra flour on my crust and easier to handle transferring to the disk. Didn’t have time for a lattice top. Made it solid and cut slits to release the steam. Frozen berries and five minutes on convection. Monitor your stove to see that it’s holding temp.gas stove can loose 20 degrees on the rise and fall. . Next time I’ll add 1/2 cup more berries and a teaspoon or two of lemon zest
Hi Sally,
I’m 88 & the first thing I mastered in the kitchen was a pie crust. It was butter & Crisco. I was probably 14 or 15 years old. My Mom was a terrific pie maker, so I was destined. I used to bring my lemon merengue pie to gatherings. You are SO right with this recipe. A Pastry cutter is the way I learned and still works best….no heat. Thought I’d share for those who are nervous about pies…. go for it! Nothing like homemade pie…. YUM! Nancy V
It just did not work for me. I really want to make this but it would not roll out. just broke apart, I tried but I knew as soon as I saw it start to crack apart $5.00 and many hours went down the drain. I don’t have a pastry cutter. Got two knives but that takes an eternity. I do have a kitchenAid. I used the paddle on low speed. Chilled everything, even the bowl. A few minutes into the mixing it started to clump. I knew there was something wrong. I added the water a bit at a time. used just 3 tablespoons. It looked better, I shaped and divided it alright. What should try, lookout for? Ive made crusts before. With an egg yolk.
Hi Thom, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. A pastry cutter or two forks are best for cutting in the butter and shortening. Using a mixer as you mention will overwork the fats, causing the dough to clump up and then become difficult to roll out. If you wish to try again, we’d recommend using 2 forks to cut in the butter. That should get you on the right track and the rest of the recipe should start to come together more easily from there. Let us know if we can help troubleshoot further!
Thank you. I did repeat the process and it came out much better. I froze the ingredients (15 min) but still used the kitchenaid. It did break off the edges of the pie plate and I just pieced it together. It turned out good. I will get a pastry cutter for next time.
Could you also use a cheese grater to grate in frozen butter or is it better to have it cubed?
Hi Cara, 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.
Is the 9 inch pie dish deep dish or regular? Thank you!!!!!!!
Hi Colleen, regular!
Thank you sooooo much for the quick response!!!!! Making your strawberry rhubarb pie tomorrow with all my farmers market goodies. Cant wait!!!!!
Btw I am a Sally’s Baking addiction addict!!!! You’re my go to for sure!!!! Thank you for sharing all your wonderful recipes
I have been using (and enjoying) several of your recipes for many years. Do not usually comment on recipes, but I just had to on your pie crust. I have been cheating with store bought crusts for years, worried that homemade pie crusts were too much work. Your recipe convinced me to give it a try and this was amazing. Beautiful pie crust (for strawberry rhubarb pie) It was simple and rolled out beautifully. Even made a lattice top for the pie. Thank you for this “keeper”- never buying store crusts again!!!!!
Hi Sally and team,
Love your recipes. I’m trying to find the video for flaky pie crust and am on the recipe webpage but there is so much &$%& advertising that I cannot find it. I know you need to make money but I counted 27 ads on this recipe page alone. And some of them appear multiple times. That’s insane….and VERY distracting to the point that I can’t find the video!
Hi Jen, that’s definitely concerning, and I really appreciate you bringing it to my attention. There should absolutely not be that many ads on my recipe pages. We always have a set maximum in place. It sounds like something isn’t working properly behind the scenes, and I’m alerting my ad team right away to investigate and fix it. I’m so sorry for the frustrating experience, and I truly appreciate your patience and support.
can i use ghee instead of vegetable shortening?
Hi Isha, We haven’t tested it but ghee should work, or here’s our all butter pie crust recipe.
Thank you for this yummy recipe! I tried it yesterday exactly as you’ve written using the shortening/butter crust recipe and had great success. The flavors were good and the flakiness of the crust made me happy! Appreciate all your tips especially the lengthy chilling time for the dough. I will be making this again very soon! Thank you!
Hi! Big fan! Your scone recipes are AMAZING
I’ve been seeing a lot of which pie crust recipes either cream cheese in it… do u like this or shortening better
I am wondering why you include sugar in the dry ingredients for the all butter pie crust but not he butter/shortening pie crust recipe? Thank you!
The sugar crystals also help break down the harder pieces of butter in our all butter pie crust recipe. You can add a little sugar here for a slightly sweeter taste if you would like!
I’m an inexperienced pie crust maker. I rolled my dough also into a ball and I had to wait 20 minutes for me to be able to handle it. Next time I’ll refrigerate the dough flat like a small corn tortilla. The piecrust was delicious, worth it.
I chilled the dough over night and now it is too hard to roll out. How long should it take to soften long enough to roll it out?
Hi Kelly, If it’s too stiff, you can wait a few minutes, but you want to keep it cold while you’re working with it.
Good morning. I want to make a pie but my problem is I have a deep dish 10” pie pan. I’m never sure how much more of the ingredients to add. Can you help me with this?
Thank you.
Sincerely Robert Jimenez
Hi Robert, 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 have been using a family recipe for pie crust for nearly 35 years. I used your pie crust recipe for the first time baking your recipe for apple pie. All I can say is “WOW” what a difference. The crust was perfect and this is now my favorite new pie crust recipe. Thank you for sharing!
I have a question with respect to the shortening. I have always been a Crisco shortening user when my recipes call for shortening. I was asking a friend of mine, who makes the greatest pie crusts, what she uses; she uses Tenderflake lard. What’s the difference in the end result, when using shortening vs. lard, and are they interchangeable? I have both Crisco and Tenderflake in my pantry, but don’t want to mess up the crust by using Tenderflake if the results will not be as good.
Hi Lori, 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!