• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

One Hot Oven

  • Home
  • About
  • Work With Me
  • Recipe Index
  • Cooking Tips
You are here: Home / Pies and Tarts / How To Make A Flaky Pie Crust

How To Make A Flaky Pie Crust

July 30, 2019 By Jere Cassidy 17 Comments

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
3.3K+Shares

I’m one of those strange people who likes the end bits of food.  The heels of the bread loaf. The crust of the pizza. Those two end cinnamon rolls that have almost no filling.  The crust of the pie.

Classic Pie Dough

unbaked dough

This page may contain affiliate links, please see my full disclosure for policy details. I earn commissions if you shop through the links on this page

Don’t get me wrong, the pie filling is important.  But for me, the filling is just the precursor to the buttery, flaky goodness of the crust.  Luckily getting that buttery, flaky crust is a lot easier than it looks.

This is my Basic Flaky Pie Crust Recipe.  It comes together quickly, tastes great, and can be used for any recipe that needs a pie crust.  No need to use a store-bought crust anymore!

Pie dough ingredients

Ingredients

  • All-purpose flour
  • Salt
  • Water
  • Fat…which leads us to…

Butter vs Shortening in pie crusts: The debate

  • Butter makes your crust taste good (be sure to use unsalted)
  • Shortening (like Crisco) makes your crust flaky
  • Use half butter and half shortening to get the best of both worlds!
  • Need a vegan crust?  You can use all vegan butter or shortening in place of the butter.  The butter flavored shortening is a great vegan alternative. Coconut oil tends to melt quickly so this isn’t the best option.

How to make pie dough for a flaky crust

The first step is mixing the flour and salt together in a large bowl.

Mixing: Tips and Tricks

Once you’ve mixed the flour and salt together, it’s time to cut in the fat.  Add your butter and shortening and chop them down into marble-sized pieces.  There are a few ways to do this.

  • A pastry cutter
  • Two knives – hold one in each hand, cross them, and then pull them away from each other
  • Forgo a mixing bowl and throw all the ingredients into your food processor.  Pulse the mixture a few times. Some people say this overworks the dough, some say this is the only way.

Adding the water

Use only as much water as you need to bring the dough together.  “Shaggy” is the word people often use to describe it. It should just stick together when you roll it out. This recipe takes about 6-7 tablespoons of water, but you may need to adjust the water. Sometimes I need to add an extra tablespoon and sometimes 6 tablespoons is just enough.  

steps for making pie dough

What do you do after you are done mixing the dough?

  1. On a lightly floured board, gather all the dough and divide it into two round disks.
  2. Wrap each round in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or store for three days.

dough wrapped for chilling

Keep things cold – why is this important?

  • Chilling the dough after mixing it allows the gluten in the dough to relax so it is easier to roll and will not shrink as much.
  • Since there is water in the dough, chilling it allows the water to be absorbed more.
  • The butter and shortening in the dough will have a chance to rechill.
  • If you are blind baking the crust, re-chill for another 10 minutes before baking.

When you bake your crust, the little pockets of fat in the pastry melt away.  You should be able to see pieces of butter or shortening marbled into the crust when you put it into the oven.  This creates the flakiness we’re looking for.

To get the perfect crust, do not let the butter melt  

Your crust will still taste good but will be closer to a shortbread consistency. 

  • Keep the butter in the fridge until you are ready to cut it in.  I leave mine in the freezer.
  • Freeze your shortening.  I actually store the entire can in the freezer, but you can also just freeze the portion you need for 15 minutes or so before you start your crust.
  • Add a couple of ice cubes to your water before you measure it out
  • Don’t overwork the dough when rolling it out, especially on a hot day.
  • Put the dough in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes before it goes in the oven.

Now you’ve got the basics!  Don’t worry if it sounds complicated.  Pie crusts are very forgiving. Got impatient and added too much water?  Let your butter melt a little too much? Overworked the dough? No worries!  Add some delicious filling and no one will notice.

How to roll the chilled dough

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and let sit for about 10 minutes so the dough will soften enough to roll.  I prefer using pastry cloths for rolling all my doughs.  After I roll the dough just scrape the cloth with a bench scraper to clean it up then roll the cloth up, put it in a plastic bag, and store it in the freezer.

a floured rolling board for dough

Flour the rolling pin and roll the dough into a round, it helps to make several small turns of the dough as you are rolling. The dough circle should be 2-3 inches larger than your pie plate. Just sit your pie plate on top of the dough to see if it has been rolled big enough.

rolled out pie dough

Roll the dough around the rolling pin to transfer it to the pie plate. I love this Rae Dunn pie plate, it’s the perfect size for my pies and I have to say this…. it’s cute!

rolling the dough over a rolling pin

Place the rolling pin over the pie plate, then unroll the dough into the pie plate.

rolling dough onto the pie plate

After the pie dough is in the dish, lightly press the dough into the sides.

pie dough in pie plate

Finish the dough off by cutting the excess dough from the edges, leaving 1/2″.  Roll the 1/2″ of the excess dough on the rim of the pie plate then crimp the edges.

unbaked pie crust

Now that you have your unbaked pie crust ready you have the option of blind baking the dough for cream pies or other pies that need a prebaked crust. Here are the instructions for How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust which is used for this Butterscotch Pie Topped With Meringue. For fruit or custard pies add your filling and bake as directed like this Pecan Bourbon Pie. 

Once you’ve got the recipe down, try mixing it up.  I like to add cinnamon to crusts for my apple and peach pies.  You can replace the water with Greek yogurt. Sub out some or all of the flour with almond flour for a textured, nutty crust.  Replace two tablespoons of flour with cocoa powder for a chocolate crust (the cocoa powder will melt a little though, so this works better on cooler days).  British recipes will often replace the water with a beaten egg for a richer crust.

This recipe can also scale up or down.  As is, it makes enough for one double-crust pie and a couple of jelly tarts.  I halve it for custard pies that don’t need a top crust. Or I’ll double it if I know I’ll be making several pies in the next month.  Just portion it out and stick it in the freezer where it will keep for up to a month.

Don’t forget to pin for later when you have that urge to bake a pie.

How to make a flaky pie crust

Here is what I use when making and serving pies.


More One Hot Oven Pie Recipes

Have leftover pie dough? Make these Pie Tarts filled with Jelly. These are a family favorite treat.

Have you ever made a galette? This Apple-Cranberry Galette is a free form pie that is quick and easy to make. No pie plate required.

How about more pie crusts like this Graham Cracker Crust or a Simple Tart Dough.

And if you have ever had to Prebake A Pie Crust you can get the instructions with this recipe.

This Pecan Pie with Bourbon is the most viewed pie on the blog, and for good reason, it is AMAZING.

pie dough ready to be baked
Print Pin
4.2 from 21 votes

How To Make A Flaky Pie Crust

This recipe makes a buttery, flaky pie crust that comes together easily. It is perfect for one double-crust pie.
Course Pie
Cuisine American
Keyword how to make a pie crust, pie crust
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 1 pie
Calories 180kcal
Author Jere' Cassidy

Equipment

  • Rolling Pin
  • pie plate 9"
  • pastry cutter

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups AP flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold
  • 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, cold
  • 6-7 tbsp water, cold

Instructions

  • Mix your flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.
  • Using knives or a pastry cutter, cut the butter and shortening into the flour mixture.  The butter and shortening should be about the size of a fingernail, or slightly smaller.
  • Add water a couple of tablespoons at a time and mix with a fork.  The dough should start to come together in a shaggy ball.  The dough should be wet enough to hold together without cracking.
  • Divide your dough into two disks and wrap in plastic wrap.  Store in the refrigerator for one hour before use.
  • The dough can keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and the freezer for up to 1 month.

Baking Instructions for Blind Baking

  • If you need to prebake the pie crust please see the full set of instructions for Blind Baking Pie Crusts. It is important that the dough be weighted down while baking and then docked.
  • The oven temperature is 375° 'F and the weighted pie crust is baked for 20 minutes, then the weights are removed and the crust is docked, then bake the crust for 15 minutes until golden brown

Baking Instructions for Pies

  • Please refer to your pie recipe for the correct temperature for baking. It is usually between 375° F and 425° F.

Notes

Plan ahead and chill the butter and put the shortening in the freezer for easier handling of the pie dough.
You can make this recipe using all butter or all shortening.
You may have to adjust the water if you find your dough is too dry.  Many times just an additional tablespoon of water is all that is needed.
After making the pie dough chill for at least one hour.
For a single crust pie just half the recipe

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 14.9g | Fat: 12.4g | Saturated Fat: 5.6g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 189mg

Follow One Hot Oven

Like what you see? Make sure you are following One Hot Oven for more tasty sweet and savory recipes!

Pinterest | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter |

 

Thank you for stopping by the One Hot Oven blog.  Please leave a comment to say Hello or just let me know what you are baking these days, I always love hearing from fellow bakers.

Have any questions or just want to chat about the recipe? Contact me here, and I’ll be happy to help!

About Jere’

From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California,  my passion for food is never-ending.  Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place, and I am glad to be here at One Hot Oven sharing both sweet and savory recipes with all my baking friends.

Logo

 

3.3K+Shares

Filed Under: Pies and Tarts, Tips and Tricks Tagged With: pie crust

Previous Post: « Chocolate Torte Cake
Next Post: Grilled Cherry Pandowdy »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. PEGGY

    January 6, 2021 at 9:30 pm

    What does “Docking” the pie crust mean?

    Reply
    • Jere Cassidy

      January 6, 2021 at 9:37 pm

      Docking a pie crust means pricking it with a fork that puts some holes in the pie dough to let the steam escape and this needs to be done before you bake the crust. You need to dock the bottom and the sides of the unbaked dough. This is only necessary to do if you prebake a pie crust for instance for a cream pie where you will not bake the crust again. Thanks for asking, I will update this in the post.

      Reply
  2. Judy English

    January 4, 2021 at 8:17 am

    Can u share recipe for the Butterscotch pie please?
    My Grandmother used to make this all the time, then I started making it but lost the cookbook the recipe was in. I have tried to replicate but never to my satisfaction, would like to give yours a try

    Reply
  3. LaRene

    November 2, 2020 at 1:51 pm

    Do you have a temp that works best for cooking the pie dough? And how long do you prebake the bottom half?

    Reply
    • Jere Cassidy

      November 5, 2020 at 8:24 am

      The temperature is 375 degrees F, for 30 minutes with the weights then remove the weights and dock the crust and bake for 20 minutes more.

      Reply
  4. Lathiya

    June 27, 2020 at 2:46 pm

    5 stars
    Making my own pie crust is always on my to-do list. Thank you for sharing this recipe with all tips.

    Reply
  5. Marthana Sharp

    November 1, 2019 at 6:47 am

    5 stars
    I am so glad to have a pie crust recipe that turns out like you say. Mine came out nice and flaky and golden brown. I made a coconut cream pie and the crust held up nicely.

    Reply
  6. Irina

    July 30, 2019 at 6:30 pm

    5 stars
    Your post is just amazing! I always make a homemade crust, but your tips and tricks are so helpful. Thank you so much!!!

    Reply
    • Jere Cassidy

      July 31, 2019 at 4:59 pm

      Thanks, I really like pie and I like making pie dough.

      Reply
  7. Laura | Wandercooks

    July 30, 2019 at 6:10 pm

    5 stars
    Haha oh I’m the same as you! Love a good pie or tart, but the crust/shell itself is what I will ALWAYS save til last. Love your suggestions too re adding cinnamon or subbing in almond flour, I can just imagine the flavours now!

    Reply
    • Jere Cassidy

      July 31, 2019 at 5:00 pm

      Cinnamon and pumpkin are my favorites.

      Reply
  8. Sylvie

    July 30, 2019 at 5:55 pm

    5 stars
    So many great advices and tips! I never, ever buy pre-made pastry but I always only use butter – I absolutely need to try your technique of using half butter / half shortening! Thank you for a great article!

    Reply
    • Jere Cassidy

      July 31, 2019 at 5:03 pm

      Since I make pies in the summer heat the half butter, half shortening really holds up better.

      Reply
  9. Krissy Allori

    July 30, 2019 at 4:51 pm

    5 stars
    I’m the queen of using store bought crusts because I’m always afraid I can’t do it. But this looks doable!

    Reply
    • Jere Cassidy

      July 31, 2019 at 5:04 pm

      You can do it.

      Reply
  10. Jaclyn

    July 30, 2019 at 4:36 pm

    5 stars
    I am guilty of using store-made crusts all too often — I can’t wait to try making my own with your recipe and tips!

    Reply
    • Jere Cassidy

      July 31, 2019 at 5:09 pm

      Hope you try it!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Jere Cassidy owner of One Hot Oven

Connect with One Hot Oven

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Welcome, I am Jerè

the baker at One Hot Oven. I love sharing recipes both sweet and savory that inspire you to bake at home. Food has a way of bringing us all together, from a simple batch of cookies to a three-tier cake. It is important to gather your family and friends around the table over delicious food, great conversation, joy, and laughter. Let’s bake something wonderful.

Your Favorites

Canning bread and butter pickles

Crispy Sweet Bread and Butter Pickles

Raspberry Sprinkle Cookies

Raspberry Sprinkle Cookies

Grilled Cherry Pandowdy

Grilled Cherry Pandowdy

pouring syrup on waffles

Overnight Raised Waffles – Crispy & Golden Brown

The One Hot Oven Ebook

Get Your Very Own Copy Of “10 Recipes Every Home Cook Should Have”

Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclosure
  • Do Not Sell My Persoanal Information
  • CCPA
  • ADA Accessibility Statement
A heart shaped bowl filled with chocolate cookies.

Dark Chocolate Slice & Bake Shortbread Cookies

If you are a chocolate lover you are going to love these deep Dark Chocolate Shortbread Slice & Bake Cookies that are rich in flavor and have that wonderful melt in your mouth delicious buttery shortbread texture.  This page may contain affiliate links, please see my full disclosure for policy details. I earn commissions if…

Read More

Copyright © 2021 · One Hot Oven | Designed & Maintained By Technology-Therapist