Last Updated on December 23, 2023 by TheFarmChicken

Like a lot of things in the kitchen pie crust can be a work of art. There is a learning curve to working with pie crust and rolling it out. It isn’t necessarily easy but once you have done it a few times it gets easier. Oh, and it’s worth it. Homemade crust makes the best pies. I hope you will enjoy making this Homemade Flaky Pie Crust: A Recipe from the Farm.

Pies are so much fun, beautiful, artistic, and there are so many different delicious varieties, truly a Fancy Farm Food. Apple, Banana Cream, Pumpkin, Rhubarb, Strawberry, Lemon Meringue, Cherry, Peach, Pecan, Sour Cream Raisin, Coconut Cream, Strawberry Rhubarb Sweet Cream… and I feel like you could just keep adding and adding to this list. Do you have a favorite?

Pie also goes back to both my husband and I’s childhoods. We both have fond memories of pie at family get togethers. My family for thanksgiving would make quite the spread of pie. All kinds of flavors and I have great memories of Thanksgiving pies. For my husband his family just enjoys pie for all kinds of different occasions. When we started dating I loved this and still do. We have a running joke that you can’t marry into the family without owning at least a few pie plates.

Whether it is for Thanksgiving, a different holiday, or just because, let’s learn how to make the base to this Fancy Farm Food. Homemade Flaky Pie Crust: A Recipe from the Farm.

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The Ingredients:

This pie crust recipe is 5 simple ingredients. We are going to break them down below and talk about the role of each in making this Homemade Flaky Pie Crust.

Just a note:

When I roll out pie crust I like to have extra to work with. That way you can make a bigger circle and it is easier to cover the whole pie or pie plate without a rip in the dough. I made this recipe to accommodate that so there is a little extra dough than you will typically need for a pie.

You can bake the extra pie dough up separate, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. A tasty snack and my kids love it!

Flour

The flour is straight forward. It is basically the substance to the recipe. The ingredient that gives the butter and shortening something to hold onto. My favorite to use is all-purpose flour from Dakota Maid.

Shortening

This partially butter pie crust also has shortening in it. You get the best of both worlds this way; flavor and flakiness. The shortening helps make it a flaky texture! Room temperature shortening is fine, but you can refrigerate it if you would like to make your dough cooler. Cooler dough equals better end result. I personally just use room temperature shortening.

Butter

Butter, like it’s roll most of the time is to add flavor. Usually, butter crusts have a full flavor, and it acts as a binder like the shortening. As well as flavor, butter gives this crust a golden-brown color that is so nice. You will want your butter to be cold and cut into small cubes. Don’t skimp on the cubing. The better you do this the easier it will be to incorporate without overworking your dough.

Water

More specifically, COLD water. I usually let my water run on cold for a little bit so that I can be using the coldest water. If you want, you can do ice water, but I have good results with the coldest tap water I can get.

Water is another binder in the recipe and helps hold everything together so that it can roll out nicely. If your dough seems crumbly add a tablespoon or two to your dough. Just be careful not to over mix.

Salt

I don’t add that much salt, but a little bit helps round out the flavors and complement the sweet filling in the pie you are making. The butter is also salted so this is another reason I don’t add that much salt.

The Tools:

Pie making takes a few special tools that you might already have and use but we are going to touch on each below. I will have links to each thing below in the “Shop this Post” section.

Pie Plate or Pie Pan

Maybe this one seems obvious, but it would be hard not to have a pie plate if you are planning to make pie. I like a simple glass pie plate!

Pie Crust Shield

Have you seen these before? A pie crust shield protects the crust from excess browning or burning. I will put the pie in without the shield and check on it towards the end of baking and place it on top if it looks like the crust is getting to brown.

Rolling Pin

I love using a rolling pin. I have fond memories of it growing up and it is such a fun kitchen tool. Back when we got married, I invested in a nicer one and am glad I did.

Pie Weights

Pie weights are used when you blind bake a pie crust (bake it without any filling). You put them in the bottom of the crust to prevent the crust from bubbling up. I personally use a layer of tinfoil and reuse rice, but both would work!

Pastry Blender/ Pastry Cutter

Some people use a pastry cutter to cut the butter and shortening into pie crust. You can either use a pastry cutter, fork, your hands or a food processor.

Mixing up the Pie Dough:

First you will add the flour and salt to a medium mixing bowl. Then add the shortening and cubed butter. You will work this into the flour until it resembles small crumbs. Then add in your COLD water and mix just until coming together.

If you add the amount of water the recipe calls for and it is still crumbly don’t be afraid to add a tablespoon of water or two. Rolling out dry pie dough is no fun!! Take the crust and squish it together forming a ball. Flour your work surface and then slightly flatten the ball and sprinkle with flour. You are now ready to roll.

Blind Baking A Pie Crust:

Blind baking is when you bake a pie crust with no filling in it. Usually this is done for pie that the actual filling isn’t baked like coconut cream or lemon meringue.

When I blind bake a crust I prepare it like usual and then carefully place a square of tin foil in the shell and put uncooked rice in it. This helps it keep its shape when baking and prevents the edges from slouching.

When the crust has like five minutes left I use the tin foil as a lifter and remove the rice from the pie shell. This allows it to finish baking all the way.

Other things you can use in a blind baked pie crust:

Dry beans
Noodles

Popular Pies:

Double-Crust Pie:

Apple Pie
Peach Pie
Gooseberry Pie
Cherry Pie

Blind Bake Crust Pie:

Coconut Cream Pie
Strawberry Rhubarb Sweet Cream Pie
Rommegrot Pie
French Silk
Banana Cream Pie

Single Crust Pie:

Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Rhubarb Custard Pie
Custard Pie

You could use this recipe for savory pies too, like:

Chicken Pot Pie

Pin for Later:

Homemade Flaky Pie Crust: A Recipe from the Farm

RECIPE AMOUNTS FOR A double CRUST 9 INCH OR 10 INCH PIE:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
½ cup cold butter, cubed small
½ cup shortening
½ cup + 3 T very cold water

RECIPE AMOUNTS FOR A SINGLE CRUST 9 INCH OR 10 INCH PIE:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
dash salt
¼ cup cold butter cubed small
¼ cup shortening
¼ cup + 1-2 T very cold water

First, in a large bowl, start by combining the dry ingredients, the flour and salt. Then add in the shortening and cubed butter to the flour mixture.
Work in the butter and shortening with either a pastry cutter, fork, or clean hands. Make sure to take time on this step. You will want it to be like sand consistency almost; well incorporated.
Once the pie crust mixture is well incorporated and feels like small pieces throughout the dough you will add the water. At this point be mindful not to overwork the dough or you will get tough pie crust.
Mix until evenly moistened and test for adequate moisture in the pie dough. You can test this by holding a small amount in your hands and pressing it together to see if it sticks. If it stays together well, you can roll it out. If it still feels crumbly add 1-2 more tablespoons of cold water and test again. You don’t want to get too much water either.
Once you have reached a good moisture in your dough. Lightly flour a clean work surface and take your pie dough that you have made into a ball and place in the center of the surface.
Slightly flatten it with your hand and sprinkle with more flour on top. You will now begin to roll the dough into a large circle about 12- 14 inches. Take your time with this and add flour to your crust as needed to prevent sticking. Fix any cracks as they happen. Don’t be afraid to use some flour, the biggest thing is not to have it stick or to overwork it.
Once it is evenly rolled out, fold into quarters and transfer and unfold into a pie plate.

Single Pie Crust Unbaked:

Place the crust in the pie plate, trim the edges of the crust to a finger width or about a ½ inch. Crimp how you would like. Next, you will add in your pie filling and bake your pie according to the recipe’s instructions.

Double Crust Pie Unbaked:

You will lay the bottom crust in the pie plate, trim the edges to about a finger width or ½ inch and then add your pie filling. Next roll the top crust and transfer to the top of the pie. Trim the dough around the edges to ½ inch or a finger width and crimp.
Put a few slits on the top of the pie crust and bake according to the pie recipe instructions.

Blind Baking Pie Crust:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and after 10 minutes remove the rice using the tinfoil as a lifter. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

Crimping

There are a few different ways to do this, and I will talk about two here:

Fork Crimp

This is probably the simplest method. After you have trimmed and folded your pie crust edge under. Take a fork and press it against the edge of the crust to create a crimp and decoration.

A Wave Crimp

This method takes a little more time but is my personal favorite and how I do my crimping on my pie. Kind of hard to explain in words but I will try to link a video of how to beautifully crimp a pie.

After you have folded under your trimmed edge. Take the edge of the pie crust and with your index fingers and thumbs press the pie crust to create a wave edge. Continue around the whole pie until the whole pie is finished. Sometimes I will go over a second time and pinch the tips of the waves just to make it more pronounced after it is baked.

Ingredients

Recipe amounts for a double 9 inch or 10 inch pie:

3 cups all-purpose flour
⅛ tsp salt
½ cup cold butter cubed small
½ cup shortening
½ cup + 3 T very cold water

Recipe amounts for a single crust 9 inch or 10 inch pie:

1½ cups all-purpose flour
dash salt
¼ cup cold butter cubed small
¼ cup shortening
¼ cup + 1-2 T very cold water