A simple pie crust recipe is something to always have in your back pocket. They are extremely useful and can be used for both sweet and savory applications. Such as my quiche or pumpkin pie recipes. It’s super simple to make too! It can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or wrapped in foil and plastic wrap and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Try it out with a nice quiche or pie and you’ll understand why I am now obsessed with finding new ways to use this recipe. It’s just such a comforting and simple recipe. Not intimidating at all once you make your first dough. It works every time. Try my pumpkin pie and quiche recipes!
Starting the simple pie crust
So, to start the butter crust. First preheat your oven to 400°f. Grab a medium sized metal bowl and add your flour, salt, and sugar to it and using a fork mix the ingredients together.
This entire process can be done in a stand mixer at a medium to low speed if preferred as well. I rotate from time to time depending on if i’m feeling like using my hands more.
Now remove your butter from the fridge and cut it into small cubes. It really does not have to be done neatly or precise, just make small pieces. Add the butter to the flour mixture and using your hands, start to crumble the butter into the mixture.
Continue to smush the butter into the flour until it resembles a bunch of tiny pebbles in flour. Take your very cold water and pour half into the mixture. Start working the dough with your hands until all of the water has disappeared into the dough. Add the rest of your water and continue to mix until you are left with a nice dough ball. You can use the dough ball to clean your hands and the bowl of excess dough bits.
Time to chill
Next wrap your dough ball in plastic wrap or parchment paper and let it cool in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes.
After it has been at least ten minutes, lightly flour a work surface and place your dough ball onto it. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, slowly work your dough out to a large circle that is about 1/4 inch thick and 12 inches in diameter. When that is done, place your rolling pin at the edge of the circle and roll up your dough around it. This makes it so much easier for transfer.
Grab a 9 inch pie dish (or if you have one, a large false bottom tart/quiche pan) and unroll your dough over it so that it is centered. You can lift the edges once it is on the dish to make tucking the dough into the dish easier.
To make for a nicer crust at the edges, we need to tuck the excess dough that hangs over the edges under itself to make a higher crust. Now you can crimp the edges to make them look fancy or old fashioned, or you can just press them with a fork. Honestly this just comes down to preference.
A quick note on pie weights
If you have pie weights, that’s great. If you do not, like me, you can just get some dried beans. What we are doing with these is weighing down the center so that it does not bubble up during the pre baking of your pie crust. So place some parchment paper in the middle of your dish over the dough and weigh down that center however you want.
Now place the dish into your oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the dough has just browned slightly.
Once finished, remove your pie crust from the oven and set to the side to cool.
Basic Pie Crust
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer optional
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 230 grams
- 8 Tbsp cold unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 5 Tbsp ice cold water
Instructions
- So, we start with the butter crust. First preheat your oven to 400°f. Grab a medium sized metal bowl and add your flour, salt, and sugar to it and using a fork mix the ingredients together.
- This entire process can be done in a stand mixer at a medium to low speed if preferred as well. I rotate from time to time depending on if i’m feeling like using my hands more.
- Now remove your butter from the fridge and cut it into small cubes. It really does not have to be done neatly or precise, just make small pieces. Add the butter to the flour mixture and using your hands, start to crumble the butter into the mixture.
- Continue to smush the butter into the flour until it resembles a bunch of tiny pebbles in flour. Take your very cold water and pour half into the mixture. Start working the dough with your hands until all of the water has disappeared into the dough. Add the rest of your water and continue to mix until you are left with a nice dough ball. You can use the dough ball to clean your hands and the bowl of excess dough bits.
- Next wrap your dough ball in plastic wrap or parchment paper and let it cool in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes.
- After it has been at least ten minutes, lightly flour a work surface and place your dough ball onto it. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, slowly work your dough out to a large circle that is about 1/4 inch thick and 12 inches in diameter. When that is done, place your rolling pin at the edge of the circle and roll up your dough around it. This makes it so much easier for transfer.
- Grab a 9 inch pie dish (or if you have one, a large false bottom tart/quiche pan) and unroll your dough over it so that it is centered. You can lift the edges once it is on the dish to make tucking the dough into the dish easier.
- To make for a nicer crust at the edges, we need to tuck the excess dough that hangs over the edges under itself to make a higher crust. Now you can crimp the edges to make them look fancy or old fashioned, or you can just press them with a fork. Honestly this just does down to preference.
- If you have pie weights, that’s great. If you do not, like me, you can just get some dried beans. What we are doing with these is weighing down the center so that it does not bubble up during the pre baking. So place some parchment paper in the middle of your dish over the dough and weigh down that center however you want.
- Now place the dish into your oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the dough has just browned slightly.
- Once finished, remove your crust from the oven and set to the side to cool.