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    Home » Recipes » Pies & Tarts

    Published: Sep 12, 2020 · Modified: Nov 19, 2022 by Paula Montenegro · Income from ads and affiliate links 14 Comments

    How to Make Flaky Pie Crust (with videos!)

    Jump to Recipe
    Close-up of partial pie crust with crimped edges, unbaked, green and white text overlay
    Half unbaked crimped pie crust on white surface, beige linen beneath, orange and white text overlay

    We all need a trustworthy recipe for pie crust, the flaky type, the one that can be used during the holiday season, and also for fruit pies. This is a basic recipe that can be made in the food processor or by hand. It uses few ingredients with shortening for flakiness and butter for flavor. It can be made ahead and frozen.

    Partial view of unbaked pie crust with crimped edges on a white linen and table.

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.

    As much as I love my all-butter shortcrust pastry, sometimes you want to make an old-fashioned pie, which calls for our trusted recipe that also uses shortening. This is my go-to recipe.

    I have to admit that there's probably nothing like shortening to achieve that flakiness that almost resembles puff pastry.

    But in a recipe that is easy to make, we can take shortcuts like using the food processor.

    Table of Contents Hide
    Ingredients
    How to make pie crust
    Rolling the dough
    Lining the pan
    Baking a pie crust
    Kitchen notes
    Related recipes you might like:
    Homemade Pie Crust

    Ingredients

    They are very simple so buy the best you can afford.

    • Butter: it gives the pie crust flavor and is less greasy than shortening. Use unsalted and make sure it's cold.
    • Shortening: it gives the pie dough unmistakable flakiness. Use it cold also.
    • Sugar: it's a small amount but good if you're using it for a sweet pie recipe.
    • Flour: I use all-purpose flour mostly, but sometimes cake flour if that's all I have.
    • Water: the water must be very cold, so we use ice water. The colder the ingredients, the better the result.
    • Salt: I use sea salt or kosher. But regular table salt also works if that's all you have.

    See the recipe card at the end of this post for quantities.

    Ingredients for pie crust in bowls on a white table including butter, flour, water, sugar.

    How to make pie crust

    As with the other pie crust recipes in this blog (basic pie crust and Italian pie dough) the mixing method is pretty similar.

    Close up of butter pieces with flour in a glass bowl.

    Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and add the cold butter pieces.

    Hand holding pie dough flour mixture with small butter pieces.

    Work the butter into the flour with your hands or a pastry cutter until it's the size of peas and beans. It should be irregular.

    Adding water to flour and butter crumble mixture in a glass bowl.

    Add the ice water a little at a time, and mix with a fork. The mixture will be crumbly at first until the flour is moistened.

    Large clump of dry pie crust dough in the palm of a hand.

    Grab a piece of dough and squeeze it. If it's dry and flaky and doesn't come together, it needs more water.

    Hand holding piece of pie crust dough. Close up image.

    Add a teaspoon of water at a time and mix the dough until you take a piece and comes together when you squeeze it.

    Pair of hands working a pie crust dough on a white marble surface.

    Transfer the shaggy mass to a clean counter and work it with both hands until it comes together. Fold it onto itself and try not to overwork it. No need to knead it.

    Round piece of pie crust dough on a white marble surface.

    Make a flat disc. The dough must not crumble apart. If it doesn't come together it needs more liquid.

    Wrapped disc of pie crust on a white marble surface.

    Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (and up to 3 days) before rolling. Or freeze it for a month (double-wrapped to prevent dryness).

    Vintage Kitchen tip: water and butter must be very cold for best results. Don't overwork the dough, as it will toughen it. If not sure, err on the side of moister rather than drier. You can add more flour when it's rolled by flouring the surface.


    Watch our video tutorials 👇🏻


    Rolling the dough

    If you organize the space, this is an easy step.

    The video in this post shows how to roll the pie crust and line a pan, which can be made by crimping the edges or using the rolling pin as shown in the video. It depends a lot on the type of pie you're making.

    Lining the pan

    After rolling the dough, you must line the pie dish and then crimp and prick it.

    As you can see, it covers the plate perfectly and makes it easier to continue with the fitting and crimping of the edges.

    Glass pie dish on white marble with a folded piece of dough on top.

    Fold the dough in half, and place it in the middle of the pie plate.

    White surface with pie dough overhanging on top of a pie dish.

    Unfold it to cover the pan and gently lift the edges as you press it down (without stretching) so it takes the form of the dish.

    Baking a pie crust

    Blind baking

    Blind baking is pre-baking the dough with weight on top. It is called blind because the raw pie dough is completely covered with paper (aluminum foil or parchment paper).

    Why is this step recommended?

    • To prevent a soggy crust: some fillings tend to seep into the unbaked dough while baking, so this step ensures that the dough develops a dry layer before the tart is filled and is not soggy after it is baked.
    • To keep the shape: if left to chance without refrigerating, pricking, and blind baking, the pie dough will puff and shrink as it bakes. We don't want that. We want it to keep its shape and have enough space for the filling.

    Steps for blind baking pie dough

    Preheat the oven to 350°F and remove the lined pan from the refrigerator or freezer (always my first choice).

    • Cut a piece of aluminum or parchment paper larger than the tart pan. Cover the cold dough with it, adjusting it so that it takes the shape of the dough. You can also use parchment paper, but it's usually coarser and more difficult to make it take the shape of the pan and cover the dough well.
    • Add weight. I use round ceramic pie weights that you can buy online, but raw grains and legumes can be used, such as beans, lentils, rice, or even flour. Simply fill the aluminum paper with flour or rice or whatever you're using until you have added a layer of weight that will be enough to keep the paper down during baking.
    • Bake for 15 minutes. It might be a few minutes more or less, depending on the type of pie crust, but the idea is to let the dough bake and dry out enough so that we can lift the aluminum paper without having bits of raw dough attached to it. The paper should lift easily, and the dough below should be half-baked and slightly wet.
    • Bake it for 5 more minutes. Just until it loses its shine and is dry. Don't let it bake fully unless you're using a no-bake filling.
    An unbaked pie crust topped with parchment paper and pie weights in a glass dish, white surface.

    Kitchen notes

    • Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
    • Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you need to adjust. 
    • Cold ingredients: I can't stress enough how important this is. Temperature is a deal-breaker when it comes to making flaky yet tender doughs. I dice the butter and shortening and put them in the freezer for 5-10 minutes before making this recipe. And make sure you have ice water (if you don't have ice cubes put the water in the freezer before starting).
    • Don't overwork it: this is another crucial tip. When you touch the mixture too much, the butter and shortening start to melt and mix into the flour, which is not what we want. We want to coat the butter with flour. A food processor is good for mixing those ingredients because you don't touch them much. So is a pastry cutter if making it in a bowl. Some people have colder hands, but some don't (like myself), so mix the whole thing until it comes together, but don't knead it, as you would bread for example.
    • Resting time: when the flour is mixed with other wet (water) or fatty (butter) ingredients the gluten starts to develop. That is good for bread but not at all for a pie crust. That's why we must let it rest after the dough comes together. That time relaxes it and accomplishes two things: it allows the pie dough to roll easily without forcing it, and it hardens the butter again, ensuring flakiness.
    Partial view of unbaked pie crust with crimped edges on a white linen and table

    Related recipes you might like:

    • Hand flouring basic pie dough on white surface, rolling pin, pink bowl
      How to make Basic Shortcrust Pastry (with videos!)
    • Hands rolling disc of dough with pin on white surface
      Italian Pie Crust (pasta frolla recipe) with video
    • Pricking chocolate tart dough in pie tins with fork on white marble surface.
      Homemade Chocolate Pie Crust
    • Hands lining pie pan with Unbaked sweet shortcrust pastry
      Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Shortcrust Pastry)

    Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it and if you had issues so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here. It's much appreciated.
    You might also consider subscribing to our FREE email series to Boost your Home Baking Skills! And our regular newsletter.
    And let's connect via Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

    Print
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    Crimped round unbaked pie crust on a kitchen towel on white surface

    Homemade Pie Crust

    ★★★★★

    5 from 10 reviews

    Print Recipe
    Save Recipe Recipe Saved

    We all need a foolproof recipe for pie crust, the flaky type, the one that can be used during the holiday season, and also for fruit pies. This is a basic recipe that can be made in the food processor or by hand. It uses few ingredients with shortening for flakiness and butter for flavor and can be frozen. 

    • Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
    • Yield: 1 9-inch pie

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 6 tablespoons (90g) unsalted butter, cold
    • 4 tablespoons (60g) shortening, cold
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • Pinch of salt 
    • Ice Water (tap water with ice cubes)

    Instructions

    1. Put ice 4 or 5 ice cubes in a measuring cup and fill with cold water.
    2. In a food processor put flour, sugar, and salt.
    3. Add cubed cold butter and shortening and pulse using on/off turns, until the butter is the size of peas or beans. It will be irregular.  
    4. Add about ½ cup of ice water and pulse a few times. 
    5. Check the bottom of the bowl with a spatula so that you don't have a lump of flour that the blades didn't pick up.
    6. Check if the mixture is too dry and floury. If you take some and squeeze it in your hand it should hold its shape and not crumble apart.
    7. Add more water (a teaspoon at a time if needed) and pulse until it barely comes together. Check the dough again. If you take some and squeeze it in your hand, it should hold together and not crumble. 
    8. Transfer dough to a barely floured surface and gather it together into a ball.
    9. Don't overwork it or the dough will be tough.
    10. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour or up to 3 days. Or freeze for up to a month. 

    Notes

    • Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
    • Sugar: it's a small amount but good if you're using it for a sweet pie recipe.
    • Water: it's mandatory that the water be very cold, that's why we use iced water. The colder the ingredients, the better the result.
    • Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you need to adjust. 
    • Cold ingredients: I can't stress enough how important this is. Temperature is a deal-breaker when it comes to making flaky yet tender doughs. I dice the butter and shortening and put them in the freezer for 5-10 minutes before making this recipe. And make sure you have ice water (if you don't have ice cubes put the water in the freezer before starting).
    • Don't overwork it: this is another crucial tip. When you touch the mixture too much, the butter and shortening start to melt and mix into the flour, which is not what we want. We want to coat the butter with flour. A food processor is good for mixing those ingredients because you don't touch them much. So is a pastry cutter if making it in a bowl. Some people have colder hands, but some don't (like myself), so mix the whole thing until it comes together, but don't knead it, as you would bread for example.
    • Resting time: when the flour is mixed with other wet (water) or fatty (butter) ingredients the gluten starts to develop. That is good for bread but not at all for a pie crust. That's why we must let it rest after the dough comes together. That time relaxes it and accomplishes two things: it allows the pie dough to roll easily without forcing it, and it hardens the butter again, ensuring flakiness. 
    • Author: Paula Montenegro
    • Prep Time: 20 minutes
    • Refrigeration time: 1 hour
    • Category: Pies - Basic recipes
    • Method: Mixing
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: flaky pie crust

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @vintagekitchenblog on Instagram and hashtag it #vintagekitchenblog

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    About Paula Montenegro

    I'm Paula, a baker for more than 30 years and your designated recipe developer, sharing the best ones here with simple ingredients + easy-to-follow instructions.

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    1. DANNY CONNORTON says

      September 29, 2021 at 7:03 am

      the recipies are great but ads keep blocking text when you try to print

      Reply
      • Paula Montenegro says

        September 29, 2021 at 8:17 am

        Hi Danny, thanks for the heads up! I'll have it corrected asap. Have a great week.

        Reply
      • Paula Montenegro says

        October 08, 2021 at 12:06 pm

        Hi Dan, the ads were removed from the print view. I hadn't realized that was happening. And there's a new version of the print view that allows you to streamline the page, choosing to print the description, the nutrition, etc. or not.

        Reply
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