Beginners Pie Crust
Submitted by fdtristan
A foolproof 4-ingredient pie crust made with flour, salt, shortening, and ice water. Step-by-step instructions walk you through cutting, rolling, fluting, and blind baking like a pro.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minEvery baker needs a reliable pie crust in their back pocket, and this one is built for beginners.
Four ingredients. No mixer. No mystery.
The method breaks the process into small, manageable steps: cutting the shortening into pea-sized bits, moistening the dough in sections so you never overwork it, and chilling before you roll.
The result is a flaky, tender crust that holds up to any filling you throw at it, from a bubbling fruit pie to a silky custard.
Kitchen Tips
- Keep everything cold. Cold shortening and ice water are the secret to flaky layers. If your kitchen runs warm, chill your bowl and flour in the freezer for 10 minutes before starting.
- Don’t overwork the dough. Stop mixing as soon as the dough holds together. Those little pea-sized bits of shortening are what create flakiness.
- Freeze before baking. A 30-minute freeze before the oven helps the crust hold its shape and prevents shrinking.
- Save your pie weights. The dried peas or rice you use for blind baking can be reused over and over. Keep them in a jar labeled “pie weights."
Variations
- Swap half the shortening for cold butter for richer flavor while keeping the easy-to-handle texture shortening provides.
- Add a teaspoon of sugar to the flour for sweet pies like pumpkin or pecan.
- Use this dough for savory quiches and pot pies by skipping any sugar and adding a pinch of dried herbs to the flour.
Ingredients
Directions
Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl.
Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or fork until the shortening is the size of green peas.
Loosely separate the flour-fat mixture, still in the bowl, into 3 portions.
Add ice water, a little at a time, to one portion, tossing the mixture with the pastry blender or fork until it is moist and holds together.
Set that section aside.
Repeat with the other portions.
When all the portions are moistened, gather them into a ball and flatten into a round disc.
Wrap with plastic wrap and chill ½ hour or more.
Flour a board or wax paper and, using a floured or stockinged rolling pin, roll the pastry into a round about ⅛ inch thick and at least 1½ to 2 inches larger than your pan.
Fold in quarters. Place the pastry in a 9-inch pie pan and unfold.
Trim the pastry 1 inch larger than the pie pan and tuck the overhanging pastry under itself.
Then, use the thumb and finger of one hand and the index finger of the other to flute the edges.
Place in the freezer or chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before baking.
To prebake, preheat the oven to 400℉ (200℃).
Crumple a piece of wax paper, then spread it out to the edges of the pan.
To make a weight, fill the paper with raw rice or dried peas.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Carefully remove the paper and rice or peas.
(The rice or peas may be used again the next time you prebake a pie crust.)
Fill the crust with a filling and bake according to filling directions.
If the filling requires no cooking, bake the pie shell 10 minutes more.
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