With the holidays upon us, I thought I’d share my pie rust recipe with you again. I have started stocking up my freezer with discs of pie crust dough, pie shells, and tart shells pre-rolled ready to be filled and baked.
I like to use a food processor to make my dough. A large bowl with a pastry blender or two knives will work just as well. If you use a food processor, but careful not to over process the ingredients. Pie dough does not like to be handled very much. The least attention you give it the better. Mix the dry ingredients first then add the frozen butter and lard. Pulse a few times to work the fats into the flour.
More great news. I have pre-made a tart shell crust to use for a Chocolate Pecan Pie. I carefully wrap the tart pan and crust with plastic wrap then I wrap it again in foil to prevent any frostbite. Place in freezer until ready to fill. This step really simplifies Thanksgiving pie making for me.
A pie crust with a fluted edge takes a little more care. I like to place the pie crust in the freezer until completely frozen so I don’t mess up the edges. Then I carefully wrap the frozen pie shell in plastic wrap then in foil and return to the freezer until ready to bake.
Easy as pie. Right?
Melt in Your Mouth Pie Crust
Tutorial 101 Pie Crust that will melt in your mouth is easier than you think. This will be your new favorite pie crust recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter cut into pieces and frozen
- 1/3 cup lard or shortening frozen
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Ice water
Instructions
-
Cut the butter and lard into pieces and place in the freezer. In the bowl of a food processor add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the pieces of butter and shortening. Pulse several times until the mixture is the size of small peas. In a measuring cup add the egg yolk and lemon juice. Mix together. Add water until the liquid comes to the 2/3 cup measure. Mix water in with the egg yolk lemon juice mixture. Pour the water over the flour mixture. Pulse food processor just until the dough begins to hold together. Do not over process or you will have a tough pie crust. Divide the dough into two balls. Flatten each ball into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap or waxed paper and refrigerate until cold. Can be refrigerated for 1 day or frozen for 2 weeks. Makes two (9-inch) pie crusts or 1 double.
-
For a single pie crust: Roll out half of the dough. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Prick bottom and sides with a fork. Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes or until golden.
-
Option: You can line the unbaked pie shell with parchment paper then fill with beans or rice and bake for 10 minutes. This is called blind baking the crust and helps it from not shrinking. Remove the parchment paper and beans after the 10 minutes and continue baking until golden. About an additional 4-5 minutes.
Recipe Notes
- Remember it's all about keeping everything cold. Cold butter, cold lard, cold water
- Refrigerate rolled out pie for at least 30 minutes prior to baking.
- Allow your dough to relax a few minutes after rolling out before laying into pie plate.
Took me 50 years to find this recipe! Been baking pies with my grandmother and mother since i was 8 years old. I wanted to try something with cranberry so i decided to try Janet’s cranberry/peach pie. she had a link to this Pie Crust 101 tutorial. it is perfect! made a flakey buttery crust that everyone raved about. i didnt have shortening so used all butter, i dont think i will change a thing next time. I’d post a picture of my prettiest pie ever if the site allowed. Thank you janet!!!
Wahoo! Thank you, Mary, for your kind comment. I’m thrilled you liked the recipe and tutorial!
I can't use the vinegar or lemon or anything like that but that I use to substitute ?
Ty
Just omit them completely. Just use the water and egg.
Can I use any other thing instead of lard or shortening ? Or may be increase butter ?
Absolutely. Just increase butter.
Yum! I love making pie, but I always seem to screw up the crust. This is super useful!
Thank you. You can do this!
Hi again…are you doing anything Paleo, I thought you were doing some Paleo recipes some time ago ?
I'm not 100% paleo. I have posted some grain free recipes here and there for my daughter who has UC and can't have grains. If you are looking for a good grain free pie crust recipe, try Against All Grain. She has fabulous paleo recipes.
I'm so excited to see this, I can't wait to try this recipe, thank you so much for posting.
Thank you so much. You'll love the recipe.