How to Make Flaky Pie Crust (with videos!)

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.