How to Make Pie Crust, an Easy Pie Crust Recipe
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How to make Easy Pie Crust starts HERE. This all-butter pie dough recipe is hands down the best and easiest you’ll ever make!
You can skip that store-bought stuff that allows your pies to leak and get right to star baker status with this truly easy-to-follow pie crust recipe.
If you’re worried about making pie dough STOP IT RIGHT NOW because I have several videos embedded below to show you exactly how to make this crust at home.
Listen, a homemade pie crust doesn’t have to be hard, this recipe is super simple and comes together in under 5 minutes in the food processor. Use it for my Pecan Pie without Corn Syrup, my Nectarine Slab Pie or any other pie you’re making!
Maybe you’re making a tart? And you need a tart crust? If you’re considering a pie crust for that tart may I point you to a Chocolate Tart Crust that would be beautiful in most tarts?
Easy to Make Pie Crust
One thing I hear again and again is that people buy pie dough or pre-made crusts because pie dough is TOO HARD TO MAKE. I beg to differ, a homemade pie crust can be easy, especially if you have a food processor.
The secret to quick and easy pie dough?? A food processor! This is one of my favorite kitchen tools. I love the Cuisinart I had a Ninja and I killed it so I’m a huge fan of the Cuisinart.
If you don’t have a food processor you can STILL make a homemade pie crust. The tool you need is called a pastry blender and if you don’t have a food processor, this tool will help make pie dough easier!
If you don’t have time or money the old-fashioned method of cutting the butter into the flour with two knives is CHEAP and works perfectly!
Make Flakey Homemade Pie Crusts
You need 5 ingredients, FIVE, compared to the 10-12 ingredients in a pre-made crust. To make get a flakey crust you need to follow these simple instructions:
- Mix the dry ingredients
- Cut or chop in the butter (this is where you use the food processor, pastry blender, OR two knives!)
- add the liquid
- and DO NOT OVER MIX
Remember it’s simply the act of mixing the dry ingredients, cutting in the fat and sticking it together with a little water that makes a pie crust. See? There is no secret to this!
I recently remade a video I made 6 years ago, showing you JUST how easy it is in a food processor. The recipe is below the video if you want to give making your own pie dough a chance.
This is a great recipe to hand off to kids and let them try their hand at pies. Kids love to have something they made on the table and pies just feel like something special to make. Also if you have leftover pie dough make these Pie Crust Cookies!
I also just recorded a Facebook live and where I walk you through the whole process there too. It’s longer, I explain things more, it’s more personable, and more fun!
Easy Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt can bump up to one 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- 1 cup butter use cold butter, can use lard in place of butter
- 1/4-1/2 cup cold water
Instructions
- in the bowl of food processor whirl the flour, salt and sugar together
- cut the butter in chunks
- drop in the food processor and pulse on and off until it resembles fine crumbs, once it does then it’s ready for water
- start with the smallest amount of water and drizzle it in the food processor while it’s running
- if the dough clumps up it’s done, if it doesn’t come together it needs more water, add just enough to make if form a ball
- once the dough clumps it’s time to divide it into two pieces, pat them a bit flat, wrap and chill at least one hour or until ready to use
- if the dough stays in the fridge more than 3-4 hours I like to let them warm a bit before I roll them out just to make them more pliable
- once rolled out chill the crust in the pan at least 15 minutes (while the filling is being made) to keep it from becoming a mush puddle in the oven
Notes
- the amount of water depends on humidity in the air, actual amount of flour used which can vary via measuring methods
- if the dough stays in the fridge more than 3-4 hours I like to let them warm a bit before I roll them out just to make them more pliable
- if you don’t have a food processor use two butter knives or your hands or a pastry blender and chop or rub the butter and flour together until the mixture resembles fine crumbs, then add water and stir until it becomes a dough ball
Nutrition
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I love this easy pie dough! PINNED!
Enjoyed your video. I will certainly give this a go. I can bake bread like a mad man but for some reason pie crust has escaped me. Thanks for the great information.
I WISH I could bake bread! I am only ok at it–working to improve it though!
I found your facebook video and had to come over to see your delicious pie crust recipe! Happy Thanksgiving! Nettie
I love easy pie dough! I like replacing some of the water with vodka when I make mine for extra flakiness. Great tutorial!
I see the note about using lard instead of butter – do you mean shortening? They are not the same thing and lard does have a certain taste/smell.
No I mean lard. Leaf lard if you can get it. When rendered correctly it should make a fairly flavorless fat. You’ve got to get all the cracklins out of it.
Leaf lard is best but any lard would work.
Does the amount of butter makes the crust more flaky? Your recipe calls for 1 cup. I use 1/2 cup yesterday. The crust is a bit hard not flaky.
YES