The Very Best Pie Crust Recipe

A good flaky pie crust really makes a whole pie. That extra step of making the crust from scratch is totally worth it. The store-bought stuff just can not compare to the texture and taste of the crust that you make yourself. I have been on a mission for the past few years to find the very best pie crust recipe. After much aggravation and multiple trials, I finally have it down. So what makes a pie crust recipe the best you may ask. Well, it all comes down to three major categories taste, texture, and ease.

What makes this the Best Pie Crust

Taste

With anything that I make the taste is always the chief concern. I don’t care how pretty or easy something is, if it tastes terrible then it is just a waste of time and calories. That’s why I ended up opting for an all-butter pie crust. Some people swear by vegetable shortening for pie dough. It does make for a flaky crust, but it doesn’t taste like much. A lot of the time with pie, I find myself eating the filling and leaving crumbled up crust on my plate. Call me crazy, but I want a pie crust that people actually want to eat! When I started making this all-butter recipe the days of throwing away pie crusts were over. The pie crust went from my least favorite part of the pie to my favorite all thanks to the butter.

Texture

The next big concern was texture. Flaky is the texture that every baker strives for in their pie crust. However, I have found some pie crusts are so “flaky” that they couldn’t support the load of the filling. They crumble as you are trying to get it out of the pan so that anyone you are trying to serve ends up with a pile of broken mixed up pie mess. This pie crust doesn’t do that to you. It is flaky and delicious while still strong enough to hold the filling without crumbling into a mess when being served.

Ease

The last major consideration is ease. To be considered the best, pie dough needs to come together easily and be able to be rolled out without too much hassle.

The last pie crust recipe I tried before figuring this one out had good taste and texture but was an absolute nightmare to work with. It didn’t want to roll out at all! Even though my rolling pin and counter were floured the dough kept wanting to stick and rip. Then, when I finally got it rolled out it started to fall apart when I tried transferring it to the pie pan. Oh boy! was there some colorful language coming from my kitchen that day, as I yelled and berated the pie dough that just wouldn’t work for me; my husband found it quite humorous. Luckily, I came up with a pie dough recipe that doesn’t make me curse like a sailor. It is a very good little pie crust that rolls out nicely without causing me grief.

Another major perk of this recipe is that you can make it in the food processor. Cutting in the butter by hand can be a huge pain (literally). With this recipe, however, I’m able to throw everything in the food processor and pulse which makes the dough come together quickly and easily. Now if you don’t have a food processor you can still cut the butter into the flour by hand, but if you do have one I highly recommend using it and saving your hands!

The Best Pie Crust

This is the very best pie crust recipe. The crust is delicious and flaky while still strong enough to support filling without crumbling. Plus it rolls out beautifully!

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Resting Time 30 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 2 crusts

Equipment

• food processor
• rolling pin
• wax paper

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1½ sticks butter cold
• 1 large egg cold
• 4 tbsp water ice cold

Instructions

 

• Set up a food processor with a dough blade if it has one if not just use the regular blade. Add flour and sugar and pulse a few times to mix.
• Cut the butter into slices and add to the food processor. Run it on low for 30 seconds to a minute or until it starts to form coarse crumbs.
  
• Add egg and pulse for 10 seconds. Then add the water 1 tablespoon at a time pulsing for 10 to 20 seconds in between.
  
• Once the dough is starting to come together dump onto a lightly floured counter. Finish working the dough together with your hands. Cut the dough in half and form it into two disks. Wrap each disk in wax paper and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
  
• On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll your dough out into a large circle.
  
• Transfer rolled dough to a pie pan, pressing down lightly with your hands and cutting off the excess. Depending on the pie recipe either roll out the second disk for the top after filling the pie or save it for a second pie.
  
• Crimp the edges and bake.

Notes

• Pie dough should be refrigerated for at least 30 minutes before rolling out, but can be refrigerated for up to 3 days before using. 
• If you don’t have a food processor you can work the dough completely by hand.  Just cut butter into smaller pieces before adding to the flour and sugar.  

Keyword applebutter, crust, flaky, food processor, pastry, pie

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