Perfect Pie Crust Recipe
Filed under All Seasons, Bakery, Dessert, How To
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The big dilemma for those of us who like to cook but don't always have the time to do everything perfectly is whether to attempt to make our own pie crust or to buy a frozen store bought version. Most frozen pie tins available in supermarkets across the country bake up into something that can taste pretty industrial. Although both Trader Joe's and Whole Foods offer some pre-rolled frozen pie dough circles that will serve in a pinch.
If you do choose to make your own pie crust, there are a dozen methods out there for doing so. Every cook and every cookbook seems to have their own favorite. All butter, all shortening, vegetable oil, part butter/part shortening, lard; the list goes on. The problem with shortening is that until recently, Crisco shortening contained a lot of transfats. Fortunately, they've come out with a new version, in a green can, that has 0 grams of trans fats.
The following are instructions for making 1) a basic butter crust (pâte brisée) for sweet and savory pies and tarts, 2) a butter crust with ground almonds replacing some of the flour for added flavor for sweet pies such as apple pie, 3) a pre-baked pie crust needed for dishes such as quiche, 4) a combination butter and shortening crust, and 5) an egg wash finish for the pie.
The instructions will yield enough dough for 1 10-inch pie with a crust top, or 2 10-inch topless pies or tarts. If you are making a tart or just a pie bottom, cut all ingredients in half.
Perfect Pie Crust Recipe
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Ingredients
All Butter Crust for Sweet and Savory Pies (Pâte Brisée)
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 4 to 6 Tbsp ice water
Method
1 Cut the sticks of butter into 1/2-inch cubes and place in the freezer for 15 minutes to an hour (the longer the better) so that they become thoroughly chilled.
Dough is ready to shape.
2 Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, add a little more water and pulse again.
3 Remove dough from machine and place in a mound on a clean surface. Gently shape into 2 discs. Knead the dough just enough to form the discs, do not over-knead. You should be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These small chunks of butter are what will allow the resulting crust to be flaky. Sprinkle a little flour around the discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days.
4 Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. If necessary, add a few sprinkles of flour under the dough to keep the dough from sticking. Carefully place onto a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge of the pie dish.
5 Add filling to the pie.
6 Roll out second disk of dough, as before. Gently place onto the top of the filling in the pie. Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork. Score the top of the pie with four 2-inch long cuts, so that steam from the cooking pie can escape.
All Butter Crust with Almonds
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
- 1/2 cup finely ground blanched almonds or almond flour
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 heaping teaspoon brown sugar
- 4 to 6 Tbsp ice water, very cold
Follow directions as for the All Butter Crust Pâte Brisée, but with the above ingredients. Include the ground almonds in with the flour and the salt and sugar in step 2 above.
To Pre-Bake a Pie Crust
If your recipe calls for a pre-baked crust, as many custard pie recipes do, follow all the steps above until you get to the point where it says to put in the filling. Note that you will need to make only a half recipe if you are only doing a bottom crust. Freeze the crust it for at least a half hour, until chilled. This is an important step in pre-baking. Otherwise the crust will slip down the sides.
Preheat your oven to 350°F. When the pie crust is sufficiently chilled, line the pie crust with parchment paper, wax paper, or aluminum foil. Fill at least two-thirds full with pie weights - dry beans, rice, or stainless-steel pie weights. Bake with weights for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, cool a few minutes and carefully remove pie weights. Poke small holes in the bottom of the pie crust with a fork and return to oven (without the weights) and cook for an additional 10 minutes, until the crust is golden. Cool completely before filling. You may need to tent the edges of the pie with aluminum foil when you bake your pie, to keep the edges from getting too dried out and burnt.
Combination Butter and Shortening Crust
Recipe adapted from The Best Recipe cookbook from Cooks Illustrated.
Ingredients for one double-crust 9 inch or 10 inch pie:
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 3/4 cup (a stick and a half) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup of all-vegetable shortening (8 Tbsp)
- 6-8 Tablespoons ice water
1 Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture. Toss to coat the butter with a little of the flour. Cut butter into the flour mixture with 5 one second pulses. Add shortening (a tablespoonful at a time, not one big hunk of shortening) and cut into mixture with about 4 more one second pulses. The mixture should resemble coarse cornmeal, with butter bits no bigger than peas. Turn mixture into a mixing bowl.
2 Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of ice water over flour mixture. Using the blade of a rubber spatula, press down on the dough, using a folding motion, until the dough sticks together. Add up to 2 more tablespoons of ice water if the dough will not come together. Do not over-knead the dough! Divide the dough into 2 balls and flatten each into 4 inch wide disks. Dust the disks lightly with flour, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days before rolling out.
3 After the dough has chilled in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, you can take it out to roll. If it is too stiff, you may need to let it sit for 10 minutes at room temperature before rolling. Sprinkle a little flour on a flat work surface and the top half of one of the disks of dough. (We use a Tupperware pastry sheet that has the pie circles already marked.) Using a rolling pin, apply light pressure while rolling outwards from the center. Every once in a while you may need to use a metal spatula or a pastry scraper to gently lift under the dough to make sure it is not sticking to the rolling surface. You have a big enough piece of dough when you place the pie tin or pie dish upside down on the dough and the dough extends by at least 2 inches all around.
4 When the dough has reached the right size, gently fold it in half and then in half again. Lift up the dough and place the folded point of the dough in the exact center of your pie dish. Gently unfold. Lift the edge of the dough with one hand while easing the pastry along the bottom of the dish with the other hand. Do not stretch the dough.
5a If you are only making a single crust pie, use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the dough to within 1/2 inch of the lip of the dish. Tuck the overhang underneath itself along the edge of the pie dish. Use the tines of a fork to crimple the edge of the pie crust.
5b If you are making a double crust pie, roll out the second disk of dough. Use a pastry scraper to help gently roll the dough around the rolling pin. Unroll the dough from the rolling pin over the fruit-filled pie, centering the dough correctly on the pie. Use a kitchen scissors to trim the overhang to an inch over.
Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together.
Finish the double crust by pressing against the edges of the pie with your finger tips or with a fork.
6 Use a sharp knife to cut vents into the top of the pie crust, so the steam has a place to escape while the pie is cooking. Optional Before scoring, you may want to paint the top of your crust with an egg wash (this will make a nice finish).
Egg Wash
A lovely coating for a pie can be achieved with a simple egg wash.
- 1 Tbsp heavy cream, half and half, or milk
- 1 large egg yolk
Beat egg yolk with cream and brush on the surface of the pie with a pastry brush.
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Posted by Elise on Jun 1, 2005 and indexed Pie, Pie Crust, Pie Dough
We recently moved to a property with about a dozen fruit trees and a berry briar. I have always been a pie baker and maker of a pretty flaky pie crust (although not always the prettiest ones.) But with all this fresh fruit at hand, I decided the time had come to expand my crust-making expertise.
The best thing I've learned is this: Pie and pastry crust freezes beautifully!!!! I have found a recipe that makes four single crusts at a time. I wrap them individually and freeze them. When you need one, just move it to the fridge a day before you plan to use it. I understand the dough will stay in the freezer for six months or more. Although, mine never lasts that long.
I've also learned scratch biscuits freeze beutifully as well (after baking). Just wrap them individually and put them in a freezer bag.
With lots of company coming for the summer, I am making a freezer full of crusts and different doughs to be ready as the various ripen.