I thought I’d share my Homemade Pie Crust recipe with you. Whenever I’m speaking to people about making pies, they all say they would rather buy a store-bought pie crust than make one themselves. Now, there are some perfectly good, ready-made pie crusts out there, but nothing compares to making your own.

The combination of using both butter and shortening makes for a flakier, more flavorful crust.

Listen, it’s not hard to make your own pie crust, and the best thing is, you can do it in advance. You can freeze them too!

Below, I’m showing the process if you’re using a top and bottom crust for a pie.

Below is a picture of a pie crust using only a bottom crust.

Above are the pie weights I use for *Blind Baking a pie crust. I store my pie weights (dried beans) in a jar. I can use them over and over again. Be sure to allow them to cool completely before placing them back into the jar for the next time.

The first step is to *dock the crust with a fork.

Below, I’m using a silicone crust protector for my Farmer Cheese Pie.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Yields: 2 dough rounds, 6 slices per pie (can be used for either 2 bottom crusts or 1 bottom crust and 1 top crust)
Equipment: 1 (10-cup) food processor, 1 or 2 (9-inch) glass pie pans, rolling pin, plastic wrap

Ingredients:
3 cups of all-purpose flour, unbleached
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) of unsalted cold butter, cubed
1/3 cup of vegetable shortening, cold and cubed
1/2 cup of granulated sugar, omit for savory recipes
1 teaspoon of kosher salt.
2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar, chilled; substitute white distilled vinegar
4 to 6 tablespoons of ice water

Instructions:
In the food processor, add the flour, salt, and sugar, and pulse until well mixed; a couple of pulses will suffice.

Next, add in the diced shortening and butter. Pulse until the flour resembles pea-sized bits and the butter and shortening are evenly distributed throughout. Pulse about 8 to 10 times.

Once the flour looks like the picture above, put the lid back on and, with the machine running, pour the apple cider vinegar through the feed tube first, then slowly add the ice water. Add only enough water to bring the dough together. It may take between 4 and 6 tablespoons of ice water.

Dump the dough out onto your floured board. Be careful to remove the blade first.

Working fairly quickly, use your hands to form the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a rough disk-like shape. Using a bench scraper, divide the dough in half. Place one on a piece of plastic wrap. Use the excess plastic to remove any cracks you see on the outer edges. Use the plastic wrap so you don’t touch the dough; move your hands in a circular motion around the edges to form 2 (5-inch) fissure-free (smooth, no cracks) disks. Wrap each 5-inch disk in plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge for at least 2 hours before rolling.

Once you’ve made this once, you’ll see how easy it is to make your own pie crust and how good it tastes.

After you’ve made your dough, wrap it well in plastic wrap. Transfer the dough to the fridge to rest for at least 2 hours, then put it in a resealable bag. Be sure to let all the air out for a longer shelf life.

Important: Allow the dough to sit on the counter for 10 minutes before rolling. This will prevent the dough from cracking when you start to roll.

On a well-floured surface, begin rolling out the dough. Using a rolling pin, apply even pressure and gently roll it from the center out, turning the dough about a quarter turn after a few rolls. Remember to flour your surface and the top of the dough as needed to prevent it from sticking.

Roll your dough into a “round” (circle) measuring 12 inches in diameter and approx.1/8-inch thick. Use a ruler to make sure. Roll the dough around the rolling pin, then carefully transfer to the pie plate, and unroll. This is the perfect size for a 9-inch pie plate. It allows for a little overhang and enough to flute the edges. Cut off the excess, leaving about a 1-inch overhang. Then fold the overhang under so there is enough to flute the edges.

Baked Pie Crust:

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Snugly cover the edges by using a silicone cover or aluminum foil. Line the bottom with parchment paper and fill the pie with pie weights or dried beans. Make sure the pie weights are evenly distributed. Bake with pie weights for 20 minutes, or until a crimped edge is set but not browned. Remove from the oven. Lift off the parchment paper with dried beans, keeping the cover on around the crimped edges.

*Dock with a fork around the bottom of the pie crust to prevent bubbling and return to the oven. To complete the blind-baking process (partially baked pie crust), return the pie crust to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the bottom of the crust appears dry.

For a fully blind-baked pie crust, return to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes longer, or until the bottom crust is golden brown and cooked through.

There you have it, my Homemade Pie Crust.

Notes:
1) *Dock: Pricking holes in the rolled-out pie dough allows the steam to escape while it’s baking. Without this, the steam would puff up in bubbles and pockets throughout the crust.

2) *Blind Baking: Sometimes called pre-baking, this is the process of baking a pie crust or other pastry without the filling. *Blind baking a pie crust is necessary when it will be filled with an unbaked filling (such as pudding or cream pies), in which case the crust must be fully baked.

3) Refrigerate the dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days in the refrigerator. You want to let the refrigerated dough sit on the counter for about 10 minutes to soften before rolling it slightly.

4) Whenever you’re using shortening and butter to make your pie crust, you must keep the surface well floured and both sides of the disk of dough before rolling.

5) For best results, store the frozen pie dough or frozen pie crusts for up to 1 month. Keep tightly covered with plastic wrap, then wrap again in foil. I like to date any dough I’m freezing. When you are ready to use your dough, transfer it to the fridge the night before so it will be ready to use.

6) You can also refrigerate unbaked pie dough or unbaked pie crust for up to 3 days. Keep tightly covered with plastic wrap.

7) If your pie dough breaks or crumbles when you try to roll it out, it’s probably too dry. Just sprinkle some cold water over the dough with your fingers and work it in gently.

8) Make sure to chill the pie shell for at least 30 minutes before baking. This ensures the edges of the pie crust won’t shrink.
Whether “fully baking” or “partially baking” a pie crust, it comes down to the length of oven time. That’s the difference between a partially blind-baked pie crust and a fully blind-baked pie crust. 

9) The sweet dough for this recipe, also known as “pasta frolla”; alternatively, if you choose to make the dough for a savory dish, omit the sugar.

10) If you want to make this recipe without using shortening and make it an all-butter crust (Pâte Brisée Dough), omit the shortening, and add 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon more butter to the amount above. You may have to adjust the amount of ice water.

11) I like to add my flour, sugar, and salt into the bowl of the food processor that’s fitted with the blade attachment, and my refrigerated cubed butter and cubed shortening into the freezer for 10-15 minutes, ensuring they are all very cold.

12) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value matter to you, I recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and values can vary, depending on the brands you choose.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2014/09/11/farmer-cheese-pie/

https://lindalouhamel.com/2022/01/31/french-potato-pie-tourte-aux-pommes-de-terre/