Making a homemade pie crust is easy peasy. This is my no-fail all-butter Pâte brisée recipe that always turns out flaky. Today, I show you how to make this great pie crust perfectly every single time.
If you've made a pie crust before, then you know it needs only 4 ingredients. And yet, those 4 ingredients can give you either a flaky, tender crust or a hard, chewy crust. It's all in the process.
The most common mistake my students make is, they presume they have to do a lot when in reality less is more. Don't over mix and don't knead. My mom would say if you spent more than 10 minutes making your pie crust you've ruined it.
About this crust
Previously, I showed you how to make this homemade crust using a food processor. And, that really is a simple and easy method to make a crust. But, you can just as easily make it by hand using a fork or pastry blender. Again, it's not the tools but the process that's very important.
The secret to making good pie dough is to chill everything. I measure my ingredients and leave them in the fridge. Flour, butter, water. That way, when I am ready to make the crust it takes me just 5 minutes using a food processor or 10 minutes by hand.
It's all about the butter - my grandmother would use 100% lard (animal fat). For her, making a pie crust with butter is a No-No! And yet, she lived healthily until 89.
I, on the other hand, never use lard for making my pie dough. I use butter or sometimes half butter and half veg shortening. I'd be lucky if I live to her age..!
Make sure the butter is chilled, so you get a nice flaky crust. If your butter melts, you will lose that flakiness. The pieces of fat in the dough melt in the oven during baking. This fat creates steam. This steam creates the separation in the dough, which results in that flakiness.
Below you will find my tips and tricks as well as frequently asked questions and troubleshooting that will help you master a single or double pie crust every single time.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Butter - I like using all butter for that superior butter flavor. But, you can also use half vegetable shortening. My mom used half high-fat vegetable shortening. Make sure to chill the shortening for at least an hour before you use it.
- Flour - Use a good unbleached all-purpose flour. Do not use self-rising or bread flour. We want a flaky crust that does not rise or become chewy.
- Salt - Don't forget to add salt to your pie crust. It brings out the flavor. My mom would also add a teaspoon of sugar to her pie dough. We loved her pies and quiches.
- Water - You want chilled water from the fridge. You can add ice to your water to chill it. Do not add ice directly to the dough. It will eventually make the dough soggy. Also, do not use milk as it will the milk solids will burn and give a very dark crust.
Step by step instructions (save/pin)
- Make sure the butter is chilled, so it can be cut into cubes. When cold, cut into small cubes.
- Measure the ingredients - place flour and salt in a metal bowl.
- Make sure you have cold water (you can also drop a few cubes of ice in a bowl of water).
- Use a fork, pastry blender (I prefer my finger-tips) to cut the butter into the flour.
- Squish the butter and flour between your fingers until you have a fine bread crumb consistency.
- Add the chilled water in three batches - only as much as you need.
- Gather all the crumbs into a ball.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.
- Dust the work board with flour.
- Open the dough and roll carefully, so it does not crack too much (if the dough is too hard it's probably too chilled and needs to sit for 5 minutes at room temperature).
- Use your pie pan as a guide to know how big you need it.
- When you reach the desired size, transfer the dough without cracking.
- You can roll it over the rolling pin, then, unroll it over the pan.
- Alternatively, fold the pastry in half then quarter. Place it on the pie pan and open the folds (I showed progress pictures on how to do this when we did our double crust recipe for apple pie).
- Gently fit it to the pan especially in the bottom edges.
- Cut the excess from the edges leaving a ½ inch for crimping.
- Fold the excess under so you have a pretty round edge.
- Crimp the edge by forming a V shape with your thumb and index finger.
- Let cool in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 200 C / 390 F.
- Line the pie with parchment paper, then fill the center with pie weights or baking beans.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Then, remove the pie weights and parchment paper.
- Add the filling and bake it further for as long and necessary - until the filling is cooked.
- If the pie edges get too dark, just tent the edges with foil or pie shield to prevent it from becoming too dark.
The Secret to making the perfect crimp for your pie crust?
- Use the edge of your pan to help support the crimp. Cut the excess pastry such that when you fold it sits on top of that edge.
- So, once you crimp it, stays on that edge all through baking.
- As a result, when baked you get a perfect crimp.
Frequently asked questions
The basic crust ingredients are butter, flour, water, and a pinch of salt. Often, a tiny amount of vinegar (½ tsp) is added in the belief that it tenderizes the pie dough. Vinegar inhibits the development of gluten resulting in a flaky pie crust.
You can use coconut oil for the pie crust instead of butter or shortening. Coconut oil will need to be solidified in the fridge before you cut it into the flour just like butter. I prefer the combination of half coconut oil or half butter.
Sometimes, when the pie filling is too liquidy it can soak into the bottom crust making it soggy. One way to avoid it is to brush the bottom pre-baked crust with egg whites. This essentially creates a seal between the crust and the filling.
A good guide to use is a 3:2:1 part ratio which means 3 parts of flour to 2 pars of fat to 1 part of water. With that basic formula, you can make a couple of pies at the same time. It has helped me many times because I do sometimes bake 6 pies all at once.
The shortening is 100% fat while butter is 80% fat. So yes, shortening gives you the flakiest crust. On the other hand, butter has so much more flavor. Therefore, butter is usually my choice of fat when it comes to pastry. You can use all butter, shortening, lard, or try 50% butter and 50% shortening. See which you prefer.
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Description
Ingredients
Single Pie crust - All butter
- 1 ½ cup (190 g) All-purpose flour
- 4 oz (113 g) Unsalted butter (1 stick, ½ cup) chilled, cubed
- ½ tsp Salt
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) Chilled water
Single Pie crust - Butter and shortening combination
- 1 ½ cups (190 g) All-purpose flour
- 2 oz (60 g) Unsalted Butter (½ stick, 4 tbsp). chilled, cubed
- 2 oz (60 g) Vegetable shortening (¼ cup) chilled
- ½ tsp Salt
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) Chilled water
Instructions
- Make sure the butter is chilled, so it can be cut into cubes. When cold, cut into small cubes.
- Measure the ingredients – place flour and salt in a metal bowl.
- Make sure you have cold water (you can also drop a few cubes of ice in a bowl of water).
- Use a fork, pastry blender, or your fingertips to cut the butter (and vegetable shortening) into the flour.
- Squish the butter and flour between your fingers until you have a fine breadcrumb consistency.
- Add the chilled water in three batches – only as much as you need.
- Gather all the crumbs into a ball.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.
Roll the Pie Crust
- Dust the work board with flour.
- Open the dough and roll carefully so it does not crack too much.
- Use your pie pan as a guide to know how big you need it.
- When you reach the desired size, transfer the dough without cracking.
- Roll the pastry over the rolling pin. Then, unroll it over the pan.
- Alternatively, fold the pastry in half then in quarter. Place it on the pie pan and open the folds (I showed you how to do this when we did the double pie crust).
- Gently fit it to the pie pan, especially in the bottom edges.
- Cut the excess from the edges leaving a ½ inch for crimping.
- Fold the excess under so you have a pretty round edge.
- Crimp the edge by forming a V shape with your thumb and index finger.
- Let cool in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Bake the Pie crust
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven at 200 C / 390 F.
- Line the pie with parchment paper, then, fill the center with pie weights or baking beans.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Then, remove the pie weights and parchment paper.
- Add the filling and bake it further for as long and necessary – until the filling is cooked.
- If the pie edges get too dark, just tent the edges with foil or pie shield to prevent it from becoming too dark.
Recipe Notes
- Fat - you will see a big difference in the quality of your crust based on the fat you use. You will see a big difference in the quality of your crust based on the fat you use. You can use all-butter or 50% butter + 50% shortening. Do not use margarine or such as they are high in moisture and low in fat.
- The amount of water in your pie dough plays a very important role in the final texture. Too much water will make your crust very tough. And too little will make it very crumbly. Crumbly is good, and yet you still want to be able to hold a slice of pie.
- Avoid the fat/butter from melting into your flour. I usually place my bowl with the flour and chilled butter into the fridge for at least half an hour before I start to work it into the dough. Those of you living in a hot and humid climate can avoid touching the dough too much with your hands by rolling the pastry between two parchment papers.
- Also, use chilled iced water to maintain the temperature of the dough.
- Cool the pie crust for at least half-hour before you bake. This will prevent the sides from shrinking.
- Let the pre-baked crust cool for 15 minutes before you add in the filling. This will prevent the liquid from being absorbed into the crust. And if your filling is very liquidy, brush the pastry with egg white, before adding the filling. This creates a seal between the filling and crust.
- If you added too much water - just add a tablespoon or two of flour and bring it all together. And if the dough is soft and sticky, which usually appears wet, it means the dough is probably too warmed up. Shape it into a ball and wrap it in cling wrap. Chill it until it firm enough to roll.
- If the dough is too hard to roll, it means it is too chilled. Give it a few minutes on the counter to thaw so it's pliable enough to roll. Because, if you try to roll when it's hard it will crack too much. You want your dough chilled, and yet, still easy enough to roll.
- It's best to chill the pastry before you bake it. That makes sure the butter stays cold. When baked, the butter melts into the dough and makes a beautiful flaky crust. And if the pie crust is not cold the dough tends to shrink.
- If you live in a hot and humid climate - place the flour and salt in a bowl and keep the bowl in the fridge for about an hour. This will keep the ingredients cold. Avoid touching the dough too much with your warm hands. Also, flip the dough over the rolling pin when possible. Work on the back of a chilled baking tray rather than a counter-top. And chill the tray in the fridge when you let it rest. That way the dough and tray will stay cold at all times.
Equipment
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Kari Alana
I am so happy I came across this recipe! Definitely going to be trying it soon and I have already saved it.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Kari. I hope you try it