Flaky Pie Crust

Originally posted on October 16, 2005.

I used to use this pie crust stuff that came in sticks (sorta like butter sticks), but I like homemade stuff since there’s no preservatives and junk in it since I don’t use any and my stuff doesn’t have to sit in a warehouse or store for weeks or months.

The ingredients are very simple using just all-purpose flour, salt, shortening and a little butter, and a small amount of water. It’s not hard to make if you take your time and should make a nice flaky crust.

Basic Instructions:

1. Sift 2 ½ cups of flour into a mixing bowl.
2. Add 3/4 of a cup of shortening and 1 tbsp of butter to flour in small chunks.
3. Cut the shortening and butter into flour with a form or pastry blender till crumbly.
4. Mix in the 6 – 7 tbsp of water 1 tbsp at a time, mixing dough with fork between each.
5. Form dough into a ball.
6. Cut dough into 2 pieces and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
7. After letting rest on counter for 15 minutes roll crust out between 2 sheets of wax paper.
8. Place dough into pan and flute edges if desired.

Now onto the pictures for the rest!

Our basic ingredients are all-purpose flour, salt, shortening, a little butter and some water.

After sifting the flour (optional) into a mixing bowl add in the shortening and butter.

Cut the shortening and butter into the flour with a fork (or a pastry blender, if you have one).

Add the 6 – 7 tbsp of water in one tbsp at a time, mixing the dough after adding each..

When you are done it should be lumpy and should stick together a little when you try to ball it up.

Form the dough into a ball with your hands.

Here we have a nice pie crust dough ball, woo.

Cut the dough ball in two, forming each into a smaller and flatter ball. Then wrap them each in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator to rest for 30 minutes or so.. This resting period is a good opportunity to get whatever filling you’ll be using ready.

Place a sheet of wax paper on your board, lightly dust it with flour, then place the dough onto it. Then very lightly dust it with flour and place another sheet of wax paper on top of that.

Then roll out the crust to about 11 inches. You want it to be a couple of inches larger than the pan you’ll be using (my pie pan is 9 ½ inches) to allow for the walls and some crimping or fluting of the edges..

Note: Although you could roll out the crust without the wax paper, I would not recommend it.

I set the pie pan I had chilled in the fridge over the rolled out crust to make sure the crust was an inch or two bigger than the pan.

You will need the extra crust to account for the walls of the pan and some extra for the crust, and “fluting” if you want the nifty fluted edges, and I do.

I turned the crust over onto the pie pan (having the wax paper on the bottom still makes it a little easier). Yes, this can be a slight challenge. Lift the edge of the crust and lightly press the dough down into the pan, and go easy to avoid tearing it any more than you need to..

I then lightly pressed the crust down into the pie pan, and then “fluted” the edges a little.. Since it’s unlikely (unless you’re Betty Crocker) that your rolling job produced a perfectly circular pie crust you can just tear a little of the extra off some edges to “patch” the areas that are lacking. Then you can use your first, index and middle fingers and thumb to flute the edges. You could just fold it over and crimp it a little, but the fluted thing looks a little cooler.