6 Easy Tips for Making Pie Crust

Whether you are making a Thanksgiving pie or something cherry or berry related with all the summer baking you’re doing, pie crust can be tricky and disappointing if not made correctly. Follow along to these six easy tips for making pie crust and bake your best pies yet!

Use cold butter when making pie crust

Cold ingredients is key but especially the butter! Cold butter cuts into the flour without melting, and when baking, it releases steam and creates that sought after flaky texture. I will weigh my butter then stick in the freezer for 30 minutes before making.

Use ice water as well

Again, we want cold ingredients as it will prevent gluten from forming keeping the pie dough flaky. Add some ice cubes to some water when making pie crust then weigh out the water (without cubes) directly before using.

Cut the butter in with a food processor

When making pie crust, you cut or rub the butter into the flour. The flakes of butter create the flaky texture by melting and leaving that space between layers. Also, when making pie crust, you want to work the dough very lightly so the less time and effort you spend cutting or rubbing in the butter, the better. Using a food processor will get the job done well in much less time. You may need to cut some larger chunks of butter afterwards.

Work the dough as little as possible when making pie crust

When cutting in the butter and mixing in the water, you want to work the flour as little as possible. The more you mix flour, the more gluten you develop, and you will be left with tough dough that does a lot of contracting. When making crust pie, be sure to be intentional every time you work the dough. Having a few crumbles when maxing the dough is perfectly okay; the dough does not need to be perfectly smooth.

Rest the dough in the fridge

After working the dough, it will need a rest to let the gluten relax as well as firm up the butter. The same goes for after you roll and shape in your pie dish. This will help the pie dough keep its structure.

Roll in as few strokes as possible

Again, when rolling out the dough, we want to work the dough as little as possible to prevent excessive gluten development leading to tough dough. Be intentional with your rolling strokes. Start with a circle mound of dough, plenty of flour on your surface, and always roll out in front of you turning the dough and rolling a circle.