Veena Azmanov

Cake Artist and Food Enthusiast

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Homemade Pie Crust Recipe – Pie Crust 101

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Best Homemade Pie Crust Recipe and Step by Step – Pie Crust 101

Is there anything better than Homemade Flaky Pie Crust? This simple, easy and effortless recipe with step by step progress pictures will teach you everything you need to know about making the best pie crust recipe at home. Tips and troubleshooting as well as how to get that perfect pie crust crimp. Once you use this perfect pie crust recipe you will never buy store-bought again.

Pinterest Optimized image on how to make the perfect Pie Crust at home. This flaky pie crust tutorial featuring an unbaked Pie Crust

Homemade Pie Crust Recipe – Pie Crust 101 – Recipe and Step by Step

What is the Definition of a Good Pie Crust?

Well, to me – it has to be soft, flaky, something that’s about to fall apart when you touch it. The broken crumbs beg you to – eat me..!! Right? Now, a homemade pie crust is well..not just that it’s made with love, you know what goes inside. I use quality ingredients like real butter giving it a nice flaky texture and a soft crumb that almost melts in the mouth.

Have you ever had a tart where you have to push the fork so hard to crack the pastry? Have you ever eaten a pie filling and left the crust behind? Well, today we are going to make sure each and every crumb from your next Pie Crust gets appreciated.

Image showing an unbaked Homemade Pie Crust beautifully crimped to perfection. Let how to make a perfect pie crust with this tutorial

Best Pie Crust Recipe and Tutorial. Pie Crust 101

My Low Fat Pie – I Just Had to Share This With You

When I was about nineteen I think; I was getting very health conscious and started counting calories. Obviously, I dug into books to find a pie that was low in fat. Guess what? The filling was all gone while most of the pie crust was left behind.

My mom said – if you are on a diet – don’t eat pie – zero calories! But if you are going to ruin a perfectly good recipe and expect everyone else to eat it, your on your own. I think she was very upset that after baking with her for years I had not learned how to make a good pie crust. So the next day I baked her my Mushroom Quiche with the perfect pie crust just so she could be proud of me. Ever since then, it has always been – a Homemade Flaky Pie Crust or no pie at all.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with wanting to go healthy and watch those calories. We all have to watch that scale, but I think it’s important to understand that not everything works the low-fat route. I don’t count calories. And yet, often I will go the crustless route – you know my crust-less swiss chard quiche and crustless kale artichokes ricotta quiche. These are great recipes that work well when you are not entertaining but can still indulge.

Image showing a baked mushroom quiche using the pie crust made in this tutorial for homemade Pie Crust

Homemade Flaky Pie Crust -Pie Crust 101 – Recipe and Step by Step

The Secret to Making the Perfect Flaky Pie Crust & a Few Tips (Save/Pin)

The secret to making a perfect pie crust is not only in the recipe really but in the method of making it.

  • Fat –  you will see a big difference in the quality of your crust based on the fat you use. If you ask my mom – it can’t be all butter. I had to be mostly full-fat GHEE (Shortening) and some butter for flavor. The more high ratio your fat the better the crust.
    My grandmother would use 100% lard (animal fat). To 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 crust. I use butter or sometimes half butter and half veg shortening. I’d be lucky if I live to her age..!
  • The amount of water in your pie dough plays a very important part in the final texture. Too much water will make your crust very tough and too little will make it very crumbly. Crumbly is good but you still want to be able to hold a slice.
  • 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 
  • 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 avoid the sides from shrinking.
  • Let the pre-baked crust cool for 15 minutes before you add the filling in, this will avoid the liquid from being absorbed into the crust.
Progress Picture for Homemade Pie Crust - Tip one - what to do if you live in a hot and humid place and pie crust is a challenge

Homemade Flaky Pie Crust Recipe and step by step – Pie Crust 101

Looking for the Perfect Crimp?

Here’s something you may not know about crimping the pastry dough. I

  1. If you want the crimp to be perfect? Use half butter and half shortening. In an all butter Pie Crust, the steam in the butter and flour tends to distort the pastry crimp.
  2. Use the edge of your pan to help support the crimp. Cut the excess pasty just so that when you fold its sits on top of that edge. Once you crimp it stay there all thru baking. Once baked you have a perfect crimp.
Image showing the perfect Pie Crust with beautifully crimped edges and a cool tip on how to get these perfect crimped Pie Crust edges

Homemade Flaky Pie Crust recipe and step by step

Today’ I’m going to share with you everything I know about making the Perfect Homemade Flaky Pie Crust 

Let’s start with the recipes for both Single and Double Pie Crust. Tomorrow I’m going to share with you my Perfect Short Crust Pastry Tart Recipe.

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.

Image showing - top view of the baked mushroom quich - The perfect crimped edges golden brown and still holding their shape

Homemade Flaky Pie Crust Recipe and step by step tutorial – Pie Crust 101

Recipe – Homemade Flaky Pie Crust – Pie Crust 101 (Save for later)

Tools 

If you know me I’m not a slave to tools in the kitchen, but I believe that tools can make a huge difference to your end product and your own working experience.  The pastry blender is a great tool to have if you plan to make pies often. And of course, you need a good pie pan a good rolling pin.

Spring Chef Dough Blender, Top Professional Pastry Cutter with Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Blades (Black-Medium)
Spring Chef Dough Blender, Top Professional Pastry Cutter with Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Blades (Black-Medium)
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Pyrex Glass Bakeware Pie Plate 9" x 1.2" Pack of 2
Pyrex Glass Bakeware Pie Plate 9" x 1.2" Pack of 2
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You Save: $5.40
Price Disclaimer
 
J.K. Adams FRP-1 Maple French Rolling Pin
J.K. Adams FRP-1 Maple French Rolling Pin
List Price: $13.00
Price Disclaimer

Ingredients

Single Pie Crust ( Bottom crust) 

  • All-purpose flour – 180 grams (1 1/2 cup )
  • Butter very cold – 120 grams  (1/2 stick or 1/2 cup / 4 oz )
  • Salt – 3 grams (1/2 tsp)
  • Chilled water/ice water – 50 ml
  • Sugar – 1 tbsp (optional)

Double Pie Crust  (Top and Bottom Crust)

  • All-purpose flour – 340 grams (2 5/6 cups)
  • Fat /butter – 228 grams (2 sticks / 8 oz or 1 cup)
  • Salt – 5 grams (1 tsp)
  • Chilled water / ice water – 120 ml / 1/2 cup
  • Sugar – 2 tbsp (optional)

Method

Plan and Prepare

  • Make sure butter is chilled – so it can be cut into cubes. When cold cut into small cubes.
  • Measure the ingredients – place flour, salt, sugar in the metal bowl and keep in the fridge for an hour or less.
  • Make sure you have cold water – if not drop a few cubes of ice in a bowl of water.
Progress Picture 1 showing a bowl with flour and cooled shopped butter for the Pie Crust the second bowl showing the crumble Pie Crust dough.

Homemade Flaky Pie Crust Recipe and Step by Step Tutorial – Perfect Pie Crust

Make the Pastry

  • Use fork or pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour.
  • Continue until you will have a crumbly mixture.
  • Add the chilled water in three batches – only as much as you need to.
  • Gather all the crumbs into a ball.
  • Wrap in cling or plastic wrap and chill for at least an hours.
Progress Picture sharing a tip of how to fold and unfold the rolled Pie Crust to transfer to the Pie Pan.

Homemade Pie Crust Recipe and Step by Step Tutorial – Pie Crust 101

Roll the Pastry

  • 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 – to transfer the dough without cracking.
  • Fold the pastry in half then quarter.
  • Place it on the pie pan and open the folds.
  • Carefully make sure the dough is evenly spread in the pan.
  • Cut the excess from the edges leaving a 1/2 inch for crimping.
  • Fold the excess so you have a pretty round edge.
  • Crimp the edge by forming a V shape with the thumb and index finger.
  • Let cool in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Progress Picture - showing a Pie Crust ready for baking filled with baking beans and parchment paper.

Best Pie Crust Recipe and Step by Step Tutorial – Pie Crust 101

Prepare the Crust for Baking

  • Preheat the oven at 180 C / 360 F.
  • To bake the pie you can either score the pie with a fork all over the base and sides, or
  • You could use pie weights.
  • For pie weight – just scrunch a parchment paper completely – open it up and line the pie with it then add pie weights or baking beans.
A partially baked homemade pie crust ready for filling. Showing how the pie crust needs to be just lightly baked and not brown for a perfect pie crust

Best Pie Crust Recipe and Tutorial – How to make a Pie Crust – Pie Crust 101

Bake the Single Pie Crust

  • At this point, you can fill the pie with filling and bake with the filling.
  • Sometimes we pre-bake the pie crust for 10 minutes before we add filling and bake further as directed by that pie recipe.
  • Sometimes we bake the pie crust for 20 to 25 minutes if we don’t need to cook the filling.
Image showing a double Pie Crust - Apple Pie using a bottom and a top crust baked to perfection.

How to make a Pie Crust – Pie Crust Recipe and Step by Step Tutorial

Double Pie Crust

  • Roll both discs and line the bottom crust as shown above.
  • Cut off excess from the edges leaving a 1/2 inch for crimping.
  • Fill the pie with filling (such as apple pie filling).
  • Roll and place the second disc of dough the same way as the first.
  • Cut off excess at the edges. Fold excess edges under and crimp.
Close up image of the baked Mushrooms Quiche using the golden baked Pie Crust

How to make a Flaky Pie Crust Recipe and Step by Step Tutorial – Pie Crust 101

Trouble Shooting / Q & A 

  • Rolling the Pastry – If it’s too hard to roll means the dough is too chilled. Give it a few minutes on the counter or it will crack too much. You want your dough chilled but still easy enough to roll.
  • The Pastry Shrinks – It’s best to chill the pastry before you bake it. That makes sure the butter stays cold. When baked this butter melting into the dough causes a beautiful flaky crust. If it’s not cold the dough shrinks
  • Climate – Live in a hot and humid climate – avoid touching the dough too much with your warm hands. Flip the dough over the rolling pin when possible.
Image showing the perfect crimped edges all in level on the mushroom quiche using this homemade Pie Crust.

How to make a Pie Crust Recipe and Step by Step Tutorial – Pie Crust 101

Don’t forget to save this recipe on Pinterest for later.
You can find a collection of my tutorials and recipes here on Pinterest.

Pinterest Optimized for the Perfect Pie Crust. Showing how to make the best homemade pie crust - tips, trouble shooting and step by step progress pictures.

Flaky Pie Crust – Pie Crust 101 – How to make a Pie Crust Recipe and Step by step tutorial

Is there anything better than Homemade Flaky Pie Crust? Not just that it's made with love, it also uses quality ingredients like all butter. Giving it a nice flaky texture and soft crumb that almost melts in the mouth. With these step by step instruction, you be surprised how easy it is.

Homemade Flaky Pie Crust 101 - Recipe and Step by Step

Is there anything better than Homemade Flaky Pie Crust? This simple, easy and effortless recipe with step by step progress pictures will teach you everything you need to know about making the best pie crust recipe at home. Tips and troubleshooting as well as how to get that perfect pie crust crimp. Once you use this perfect pie crust recipe you will never buy store-bought again.

Print
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings 2 Crusts
Calories 527 kcal
Author Veena Azmanov

Ingredients - Choose (Metric or US Customary) below

Single Pie Crust - Bottom crust 

  • 180 grams All purpose flour
  • 120 grams Butter very cold
  • 3 grams Salt
  • 50 ml Chilled water / ice water
  • 1 tbsp Sugar optional

Double Pie Crust - Top and Bottom Crust

  • 340 grams All purpose flour
  • 228 grams Fat / butter
  • 5 grams Salt
  • 120 ml Chilled water / ice water
  • 2 tbsp Sugar optional
Metric - US customary

Instructions

Plan and Prepare

  1. Make sure butter is chilled - so it can be cut into cubes. When cold cut into small cubes.
  2. Measure the ingredients - place flour, salt, sugar in the metal bowl and keep in the fridge for an hour or less.
  3. Make sure you have cold water - if not drop a few cubes of ice in a bowl of water.

Make the Pastry

  1. Use fork or pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour.
  2. Continue until you will have a crumbly mixture.

  3. Add the chilled water in three batches - only as much as you need to.

  4. Gather all the crumbs into a ball.
  5. Wrap in cling or plastic wrap and chill for at least an hours.

  6. Roll the pastry.

  7. Dust the work board with flour.

  8. Open the dough and roll carefully so it does not crack too much.

  9. Use your pie pan as a guide to know how big you need it.

  10. When you reach the desired size - to transfer the dough without cracking.

  11. Fold the pastry in half then quarter.

  12. Place it on the pie pan and open the folds.
  13. Carefully make sure the dough is evenly spread in the pan.

  14. Cut the excess from the edges leaving a 1/2 inch for crimping.

  15. Fold the excess so you have a pretty round edge.
  16. Crimp the edge by forming a V shape with the thumb and index finger.

  17. Let cool in the fridge for 15 minutes.

Prepare the Crust for Baking

  1. Preheat the oven at 180 C / 360 F.

  2. To bake the pie you can either score the pie with a fork all over the base and sides Or

  3. You could use pie weights.

  4. For pie weight - just scrunch a parchment paper completely - open it up and line the pie with it then add pie weights or baking beans.

Bake the Single Pie Crust

  1. At this point, you can fill the pie with the filling and bake with the filling.

  2. Sometimes we pre-bake the pie crust for 10 minutes before we add filling and bake further as directed by that pie recipe.

  3. Sometimes we bake the pie crust for 20 to 25 minutes if we don't need to cook the filling.

Double Pie Crust

  1. Roll both discs and line the bottom crust as shown above.

  2. Cut off excess from the edges leaving a 1/2 inch for crimping.

  3. Fill the pie with filling (such as apple pie filling).

  4. Roll and place the second disc of dough the same way as the first. 
  5. Cut off excess at the edges. Fold excess edges under and crimp. 
Nutrition Facts
Homemade Flaky Pie Crust 101 - Recipe and Step by Step
Amount Per Serving (113 g)
Calories 527 Calories from Fat 324
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 36g 55%
Saturated Fat 22g 110%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 10g
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 92mg 31%
Sodium 351mg 15%
Potassium 0mg 0%
Total Carbohydrates 44g 15%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 3.9g
Protein 5g 10%
Vitamin A 0%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 0%
Iron 0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Wonder where you can use this delicious Perfect Homemade Pie Crust Recipe you just made?

Well, you know I love baking and sharing my recipes with you. Click here to see a list of my Savory Pies, Quiches, and Tarts Recipes. Alternatively, check out my Recipe Index to see a list of all available recipes on this blog.

A Pinterest Image showing a collection of Savory Pies, Quiches and Tarts using the best homemade Pie Crust Recipe - This step by step tutorial will teach you to make the a perfect pie every single time

A Collection of Pies, Quiches, and Tarts made using a Perfect Pie Crust Recipe and Tutorial

Master the Basic and Dominate the Kitchen

One way to improve your cooking or baking skills is to get a grip on your basic recipes. Often it’s more easy and quicker than you think it is.
Simple things like making homemade caramel or butterscotch take five minutes but are so much better homemade.
Baking the perfect pie or pastry crust from scratch can make a huge difference to your homemade pies and desserts.
Did you know homemade buttermilk or condensed milk take less than 5 minutes as well? Yes!!
See some of my Basic Recipes with details or check out my Recipe Index for a list of all my recipes.

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Comments

  1. These are great tips! I had a goal this year to start making my own pie crust, and this is perfect. All your tips are going to help greatly! Pinned for when I get enough courage to try 🙂

    Reply

  2. I’m noting all your tips, Veena! I’m usually an all-butte pie person, but I must try shortening the next time, and see the difference it makes to m pie crusts.

    Reply

  3. There certainly is nothing better than a flaky pie crust and nothing beats making your own. Thanks for the tips

    Reply

  4. I have never made my own pie crust, as it’s so easy to buy it. But it must be really satisfying to make it yourself.

    Reply

  7. That is one perfect pie crust and trust me I would it is totally worth the fat we are using. Fat is what makes it flaky. Love your detailed explanations. Makes it so much easier for beginners!

    Reply

  8. Great tutorial. I’ve always been nervous about making pie crusts myself. You’ve provided some great little pointers that would help in my next attempt. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  9. I must confess I have never tried making pie crust at home… always bought it from store, but after seeing your recipe will definitely try it at home.. very well explained!

    Reply

  10. I’ve really gotten lazy with pie crusts but you’ve inspired me to just make it homemade. I know it’s not hard, although I have had some tough crusts before. I am picturing your crust recipe with a quiche. I do love savory.

    Reply

  11. Love your posts veena, It is very lovely, how patiently you explain every detail in making a great recipe! Making a pie-crust definitely needs a lot of attention!! great post!

    Reply

  13. I definitely foresee this flakey pie crust in my near future! Pies will never be the same 🙂 Love it, can’t wait to try it out!

    Reply

  15. I love love love making pie crust from scratch. Sometimes I will add cream cheese with the butter to provide a different flavor!! Fabulous classic recipe and tips you have provided!!

    Reply

  18. I remember when I took baking courses they also told us about 3-2-1 ratio of ingredients. I am quite bad ant crust – I can’t ever make it with this little water, it just never holds together. I usually add a bit vodka or other hard liquor – since it’s alcohols it evaporates in the oven but still add some enough moisture to help forming the dough

    Reply

  19. The crust can really make or break the pie. This looks like a good recipe for a tasty and flaky pie crust!

    Reply

  20. Gorgeous flaky crust, it is really baked to perfection. I agree that fat is what makes it better, and tastier. I think the problem nowadays is that we are too scared of fat, and forget that sugar is way more dangerous, hence I do not believe in low-calory or 0 fat products. This crust is great for chocolately treats, and so many more. Amazing!

    Reply

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