Basic Pie Crust
While I have had a basic pie crust recipe on every incarnation of this site, this actually is not the same one I originally posted. I’m going to tell you a little secret – I don’t *like* (most) pie crust – I much prefer the filling. As a result, nearly every pie I make is deep dish to increase the filling to crust ratio. Most pie crust recipes are geared toward a standard depth pie plate so I always had to either roll it a bit too thin or remember to adjust the recipe for just a touch more dough. This recipe is my answer to that issue.
I also recommend you take a look at the notes section of this recipe. One of the things that I typically find lacking in pie crust is flavor – in creating this recipe I found ways of incorporating all kinds of extra flavor to complement the fillings of my family’s favorite pies.
Equipment
Ingredients
Method
- Pulse all dry ingredients in a food processor until well combined.9 ounce (257 g) flour, 1 1/2 tablespoon (18 g) sugar, 1/2 teaspoon (½ teaspoon) salt
- Add shortening, pulse until well combined, all of the dry ingredients should be coated in shortening and the mixture will look sandy.2 ounce (56 g) shortening
- Add butter, pulse until the largest pieces of butter are about the size of large peas.4 ounce (112 g) butter
- Transfer to a separate bowl, add the vanilla and 1oz of the water. Stir quickly and gently with a fork to form a shaggy dough. If the dough does not start to clump together, add water one tablespoon at a time until it does.1-3 ounce (29 g) water, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- Dump out on a silpat and bring together with a bench scraper.
- Using the heels of your hands smear 1/3 the dough away. Use the bench scraper to fold the dough back on top of itself. Give the dough 1/4 turn and repeat the process 3 more times. (the butter should remain visible in the dough, not getting fully incorporated).
- Form the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic and chill for at least a couple hours before using (1-2 days would be better)
Notes
- For a standard depth pie, you could adjust the flour to 6 ounces, the total fat to 4 ounces and the water to 2 ounce. Or (and this is my preference) you can use the recipe as is and turn the left over dough into pie crust chips
- cut into fun shapes, brush with egg wash and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar
- bake at 375° until golden brown (~12-15 minutes or so depending on the thickness of the dough and the size of the shapes)
- For variations in flavor, try replacing 1/5-1/4 of the flour with finely ground cookies (such as ginger snaps or chocolate wafers), add up to a teaspoon of spices (such as cinnamon, ginger or pumpkin pie spice), and/or replace some or all of the water with an alternative liquid (such as apple juice), also ice cold. The following are the variations I use for some of our favorite pies
-
Apple Pie
- Swap 2 oz of flour for finely ground spice cookies (ginger snaps, ginger thins, Biscoff, etc.)
- Add 1 tsp cinnamon
- Swap the water for apple cider or juice (ice cold)
-
Pumpkin Pie
- Swap 2 oz of flour for finely ground spice cookies (ginger snaps, ginger thins, Biscoff, etc.)
- Add 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- Swap the water for pumpkin juice (ice cold)
-
Tollhouse Brownie Pecan Pie
- Swap 1.5 oz of flour for finely ground chocolate cookies (chocolate wafers, Oreos without cream, etc)
- Swap 1 oz of flour for finely ground toasted pecans
- Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon
-
Apple Pie
Private Notes
Nutrition
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