I’ve never been very sympathetic towards people who say they can’t do something when that “something” is not hard. If you tell me you can’t grow a garden because you live on a very small lot and it’s too shady .. that’s one thing, or if you say can’t grow rhubarb in the deep south because some things just don’t grow in all areas but when you say you can’t knit, or you can’t make a pie crust . . my initial feeling is that you don’t want to do it. I may be wrong. I often am.
It’s just like when I say “I can’t drive over a bridge” . . it isn’t that I physically cannot drive over a bridge, but it’s that I’ve let my fear get the best of me and if I really wanted to drive over bridges, I’d figure out a way to get over that fear. In fact, there are some bridges I do drive over that no one can believe that I can do it. One of them is in Lake Charles .. from Moss Bluff to Lake Charles, there’s a really long bridge with a bit of a rise but that’s the ONLY way I can get to Lake Charles because the other two bridges are really scary so I do it and it doesn’t bother me at all. My head seems to pick and choose the bridges I let myself drive over but to say “I can’t drive over a bridge” is wrong. I should say “I’ve let my fear get the best of me and I wimp out when it comes to bridges!”
So, if you want to make a pie crust . . do not wimp out! 🙂
It simply takes a little flour, a little shortening (that’s what I use – you can use butter, lard, oil), salt and ice water. If you make 5 pie crusts and they’re all failures, all you’ve lost is a few dollars and a little time but I’m telling you . . and you know you trust me, right? Pie crusts are so simple. It takes about 5 minutes, start to finish, to have a pie crust in the pie pan.
I like my crusts a little thick so the recipe I use is enough to make it thicker than the average pie crust.
Pie Crust
Don’t worry about perfection, If you make a little boo-boo, piece it back together. You can manipulate it with your fingers and it will look perfect.
Err on the side of making it too wet rather than too dry. You can always add more flour while rolling it out if needed but if it’s too dry it’s going to be crumbly.
Use either a pastry cutter (my preference), two forks or in a real bind, just use your fingers.
Work the dough as little as possible. All you want it to do is hold together.
Make sure the ice water is very cold! I usually fill a short glass with ice, add about 1/2 cup of water at the very beginning of my crust making so it’s good and cold.
A thin, straight spatula is great for getting the crust loose from the countertop. If you don’t have one and have a long, sharp (not serrated) thin knife, that will work too.
If you’re baking the crust before filling, prick the bottom quite a few times with a fork or fill it with pie crust weights. Obviously, I just pricked this one with a fork. I was making it at my uncle’s and didn’t want to bring along pie crust weights.
Pie Crust
Be sure to bring the crust up over the edge of the pie pan or as it’s baking, the crust will slip down the sides and you risk ending up with no crust on the sides.
I think that’s all my tips. There are plenty of recipes for pie crusts, and plenty of methods for making them, but here’s the recipe I use.
Easy Pie Crust
A very easy pie crust!
- 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 5 – 6 tablespoons ice water
- 1/2 tsp (heaping) salt
-
Preheat oven to 425°.
Mix flour and salt in a large bowl.
Add shortening. Blend with pastry cutter til the flour and shortening have blended and all you see are pea sized ‘chunks’.
Start with 3 T. ice water. Stir with a fork. Add more ice water, 1 T. at a time, til the mixture is holding together nicely.
Generously flour the countertop.
Shape the dough into a ball and place on floured countertop. Mast with the palm of your hand. Sprinkle a little flour on top.
Flip the crust over so the top is now on the bottom. Add more flour to the countertop of needed.
Sprinkle flour on top of the crust as needed. Begin rolling with a rolling pin. Roll away from you (12:00 position). Roll to your right (3:00 position).
Roll toward you (6:00 position) and then roll to your left (9:00 position).
Flip the dough (bottom is now on top). Sprinkle more flour as needed on the countertop or on the dough.
Continue rolling until the crust is the size needed to fit your pie pan, up the sides and with a little “lip” for the top edge.
If at any time the crust starts to stick to the countertop, use the long spatula or a thin long knife to go up under it and release it, then sprinkle more flour to avoid sticking.
When the crust is the size you need for it to be, fold it in half (I always fold toward myself), pick it up, place it in the pie pan, unfold it and manipulate the crust so it goes up the sides with a little “overhang”. Trim what’s not needed, being sure to leave enough to fold under the edges and shape the top “edge”.
For a baked crust, prick the edges and bake for about 10 minutes, til the crust is as brown as you want it.
Wanda says
Just how do I pin this to my pie board. I filled you but wanted to pin this. Thanks
Tina in NJ says
My mother-in-law was famous for her pies, especially apple. She used the butter-flavored Criso quarters for her crusts. When I make pies, I like to mix my crusts in the food processor. It’s fast and easy and less messy. The Crisco website has directions and recipes for single, double, and deep-dish crusts.
Tee says
Shhh! Don’t tell everyone that pie crusts are as easy as they are, because I love getting all the glory at family get together when I bring the pie with home made crust. I also don’t tell anyone how easy it is to make gravy for the same reason!
Linda Enneking says
I have a plastic sheet that I use to roll the dough on. Since it is flexible, it is easy to get the crust off and into the pan. It is marked with circles of various sizes, to use a guides for making crusts to fit different sized pans. I roll it around my rolling pin for storage, to avoid creasing it. I got it at a Tupperware party many years ago. Tupperware parties are not so popular any more, but their products are available online.
Mary Jo says
I use floured waxed paper to roll my crust on. Then I use the paper to lift it and turn it into the pie pan.
Rebecca in SoCal says
I remember when my stepdaughter was living with us and making pie crusts. I had never(?) made one, but had heard that they were difficult or temperamental, so had no advice or help for her. The first one was okay, but as time went on, they got worse and tougher. That put me off trying my own!
Joyce says
Working the dough too much is what makes them tough. My mother always told me to work it just enough to get it to hold together.
Rebecca in SoCal says
Good to know. That’s where I could not help out!
justquiltin says
I always make homemade pie crust but I use a recipe with oil and roll the crust between two sheets of waxed paper like someone else mentioned tho I don’t flour the waxed paper – it peels right off the oil pastry.
Carol says
this is how I do it, too. I dampen the counter before starting and the bottom layer of wax paper sticks to it so it doesn’t move around. and the rolling pin never touches the dough so it stays clean as well. I don’t like dealing with the floury counter top.
Nelle Coursey says
I have a great recipe where you use 1/3 cup butter and 1/3 cup Crisco. It is wonderful! Always flaky.
Susan says
This is great and looks beautiful. It is easy. I don’t choose to do it, because I’m lazy and both Marie Calendar’s and Mrs. Smith make far better pies than I ever have. And so did Paul. =) I knitted one thing in my life and it came out terrible, so I quit and have no desire to learn. I like crochet, but I don’t do that any more because the repetitive motion isn’t good for my wrist. You are probably right that there aren’t many things we can’t do, if we choose to, but there are lots of things I don’t choose to do. =)
joan says
I have discovered, after many years of making pie crusts with a pastry cutter, that using my food processor is a great way to make pie crusts.
montanaclarks says
We had dinner with friends the other night and she served an apple pie which had been in the freezer since Thanksgiving. It was absolutely delicious and the crust was amazing! I said, “well, I’m never bringing a pie over here as my crusts are nothing to write home about!” But, like you said, if it’s a failure, you’ve only wasted a few ingredients–I’m going to practice, we love pie!!
Terri Schanz says
My mother couldn’t make a decent pie crust to save her life.My dad made the crusts and Mom made the filling. I learned to make a pie crust when I was about 12 and my aunt taught me and I’ve been the family pie baker ever since!! The first one I ever baked was a peach pie. I’ve never found pie crusts difficult, but I know that my mom felt she never found the “secret” to making a good one.
Teri says
Your right it is not that we can’t do it……it is that we choose not to do it…..I have made pie crusts a couple of times and they never came out very good….so I gave up….well you just gave me the incentive to try again…..thanks.