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I have been in search of a good pie crust recipe lately. I have a standard all-shortening recipe that is good and works like a charm, but I’ve been looking to incorporate a little butter into my pie crust recipe because, well, butter makes everything better!
It seems like there are three camps when it comes to pie crust recipes: all-butter, all-shortening, and those who use leaf lard (I’ve heard wonderful things about using leaf lard but have yet to try. Partially because I keep forgetting to buy it, as it’s not an item that is stocked on many grocery store shelves.). I have always been in the all-shortening camp until I tried this recipe – I have had excellent results with it! Dare I say I found a new favorite pie crust recipe?!
This recipe is really easy to work with and creates a nice flaky crust – what else could you ask for! Just make sure you work with COLD ingredients and honey, please refrigerate that pie dough for at least 30 minutes before you roll it out. Why? So the fat (butter and shortening) is firm when it goes into a hot oven. It’s the quick melting of the fat that creates a flaky crust.
#BecauseIHaveAToddler I typically make my pie dough the night before I plan to bake the pie. The next day, after allowing the dough to sit out of the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, I will roll out the pie dough (on a lightly floured surface) and place it in the pie pan. Next, I crimp (or style to your liking) the bottom crust and put the pie plate in the freezer while I make the pie filling and roll out the top crust. Once those steps are completed, I will then pull the pie plate out of the freezer, pour the pie filling into the bottom crust and style with the top crust. Then place the assembled pie back into the freezer for about 15 minutes while the oven warms up to the desired temperature.
This recipe makes two crusts, which allows for a pie recipe that requires a bottom and top or decorative crust. If you are making a recipe that only requires one pie crust, you can freeze the other disc for another day.
PrintPie Crust
An easy to make and wonderfully flaky pie crust recipe!
- Prep Time: 5
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 top crust & 1 bottom crust 1x
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- ⅓ cup cold vegetable shortening
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- about 10 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix flour, salt and sugar.
- With a pastry cutter, gradually work the butter and shortening into the flour mixture for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles coarse crumbs (about the size of peas).
- Add some ice water, just one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture starts to come together into a ball while stirring gently. You may not need all of the ice water. The dough should not be sticky. Also, be careful not to over-work it.
- Form the dough into a ball with your hands.
- Cut the dough ball in half and form each half into a disc. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
Notes
To freeze pie dough, tightly wrap dough in plastic wrap. Place the tightly wrapped dough into a freezer Ziploc bag. Store the pie crust dough in the freezer for up to 3 months. The night before you plan to bake your pie, transfer the dough to the fridge to thaw.
Keywords: Easy Flaky Pie Crust, Butter and Shortening Pie Crust, Pie Crust
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Sophia says
Love the flakiness and taste of this crust! This has replaced my pie dough recipe, it's that good! Such a simple recipe to follow too, especially using a food processor.
★★★★★