4.8 from 74 votes
Best Pie Crust Recipe
Best Pie Crust Recipe blends all-purpose flour with sugar and salt, incorporating chilled butter and vegetable shortening to form a flaky dough. The dough is moistened gradually with ice cold water, mixed until it just comes together, then divided, shaped into discs, and chilled. This process produces a tender, flaky crust suitable for both sweet and savory pies.
Prep Time
15 mins
Additional Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
Servings:
12
servings
Calories:
278 kcal
Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
American
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour spooned & leveled + extra for the work surface, unbleached, 353g
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 12 Tablespoons butter cut into 1/4-inch pieces and chilled, salted
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening chilled
- 6-8 Tablespoons water ice
Instructions
- Stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry cutter or a food processor (if I had one I would use it!), cut the shortening and butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. It is only about 10 pulses with a food processor but a bit more work by hand. One trick to make the process a little easier is to freeze your butter beforehand, then grate it into the flour mixture before cutting it in with the pastry cutter if not using a food processor.
- Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water over the mixture. Using a fork, gently stir the water in to the flour mixture, then repeat with the remaining water, adding only 2 tablespoons at a time, just until the dough starts to come together.
- Divide the dough into two even pieces (if making a double-crust recipe). Turn each piece of dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and flatten each into a disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour, then allow the chilled dough to sit on the counter to soften slightly for 10 minutes before rolling out.
Cup of Yum
Notes
- Freezing and grating butter before mixing helps achieve a flakier crust by keeping chunks cold and distributed.
- Chilling the dough for at least one hour is important to relax gluten and firm fats, preventing shrinkage during baking.
- Use just enough ice water for the dough to come together without over-mixing to keep the crust tender.
- This recipe yields two pie crust discs, ideal for double-crust pies or covering two smaller pie shells.
Nutrition Information
Calories
278kcal
(14%)
Carbohydrates
22g
(7%)
Protein
3g
(6%)
Fat
20g
(31%)
Saturated Fat
9g
(45%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
3g
(18%)
Monounsaturated Fat
6g
(30%)
Trans Fat
2g
(100%)
Cholesterol
30mg
(10%)
Sodium
295mg
(12%)
Potassium
31mg
(1%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
2g
(4%)
Vitamin A
350IU
(7%)
Calcium
8mg
(1%)
Iron
1mg
(6%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 12 servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 278
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 278kcal | 14% |
| Carbohydrates | 22g | 7% |
| Protein | 3g | 6% |
| Fat | 20g | 31% |
| Saturated Fat | 9g | 45% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 3g | 18% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 6g | 30% |
| Trans Fat | 2g | 100% |
| Cholesterol | 30mg | 10% |
| Sodium | 295mg | 12% |
| Potassium | 31mg | 1% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 2g | 4% |
| Vitamin A | 350IU | 7% |
| Calcium | 8mg | 1% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.