How to Make the Perfect Pie Crust

Learn How to Make the Perfect Pie Crust for those delicious pies with this simple recipe. I have tried many pie crust recipes, but I share what works the best! You won’t regret making this pie crust when you take a bite of the flaky, buttery, baked goodness!

There are so many reasons why we all need to know how to make the perfect pie crust. Pies are a delicious formulation for sweet and savory meals. You can have sweet pies with seasonal fruits, a special way to welcome each season. The past two summers, I created the tradition of welcoming summer with a homemade cherry pie. I am in favor of keeping this tradition alive.

Of course, there are famous pies like pumpkin, pecan, and apple pies for fall, but have you tried a beef pot pie? 🥧 Savory pies are just as easy to make and make a delicious meal. The great thing about this pie crust recipe is that you can double it to make two pies; one for dinner, and one for dessert.

I made a chicken pot pie last year and we had a cherry pie for dessert. It was my favorite and most memorable meal that summer.

What Makes a Pie Crust Flaky?

Since learning how to make pies a few years ago, I discovered pie crust recipes vary slightly. It was hard, at first, for me to get the perfect flaky, buttery crust. A few variables I have discovered are that pie crusts need proper fats for that crispy, flaky crust to hold a juicy filling.

The fat from butter adds flavor. The fat from lard or tallow adds texture making the pie stay in the right shape, and not melt because of its high heat points. I used coconut oil instead of tallow once, which has a similar effect that works well too.

In short, the fat makes all the difference in your crust, you won’t want to use butter alone when you can have the perfect flaky crust by adding lard, tallow, or coconut oil.

The Temperature Matters

I have learned through trial and error that when the butter in the pie melts while trying to shape the dough and form the lattice, your pie crust will ultimately suffer. My kitchen is hot in the summer and I found the pie crusts become sticky and unmanageable trying to form it. So, I pop the dough into the freezer to help it cool down before shaping and adding the filling.

If you can manage, be sure the pie dough is very cold. Use cold ingredients like butter and ice water when forming the dough. If it is not cold enough, it will be unmanageable. If the butter melts too soon before going into the oven, your pie crust will lose its flakiness. It will be too greasy and doughy. I’ve seen this happen firsthand from experience. Learn from my mistakes and don’t let the butter melt too soon in a hot kitchen.

The proper flakiness according to Sally from Sally’s Baking Addiction in a Perfect Pie Crust comes “When the lumps of fat melt in the oven as the pie bakes, their steam helps to separate the crust into multiple flaky layers”.¹

Par-Bake

Sometimes, for the pie to remain flaky and crispy, you can partially bake the crust for 10-15 minutes before adding the filling.

I like to do this for pumpkin pies or pies that contain fillings with a bake time that is less than the time it takes for the crust to cook. A beef pot pie would be a great example of needing to partially blind-bake the crust with pie weights because the meat should be already cooked.

This site experimented to show which method of blind-baking was best by testing different pie weights. Check out the results if this is something that interests you.

How to partially blind bake a crust

Preheat your oven to 400°F.

This is where pie weights come in handy, and poking the dough with a fork so that the crust doesn’t puff up too much. In the picture above, I used rice as a pie weight. The crust came out flaky, and delicious!

Line the crust with parchment paper. Spread the pie weights, rice, or sugar over the parchment-lined crust.

Bake it for approximately 10-15 minutes until the edges of the pie crust are lightly browned. Remove the pie crust from the oven carefully lift the parchment paper and weight off once cooled.

Add the crust to the oven for 2-3 minutes more until the bottom stops looking wet. 

How to Make the Perfect Pie Crust Instructions:

For the perfect pie crust, make sure to follow these step-by-step instructions.

1. Cut cold butter into chunks and place in the flour
2. Using a pastry cutter, cut the cold butter and cold tallow into the flour until small pea-sized pieces remain. Use your hands to rub down the larger chunks of butter
3. Add your ice-cold water (straining the ice) to the flour and fat mixture
4. The water should help it form into a mound without being too sticky. If it is too sticky, add a little more flour. If it is too dry, add a little more cold water.

Lamination

Lamination simply means folding your dough to create those extra layers of flaky perfection. It is really easy to do. Follow along and I will teach you:

1. Use a rolling pin, and roll the dough into a rectangle on a lightly floured work surface.
2. Fold ⅓ of the side of the dough into the middle, then fold the other side ⅓ of the dough over the top to make a long envelope shape.
3. Turn the dough and repeat this process.
4. Flatten the laminated dough discs into a flat square then tightly wrap. Place these two discs in the fridge for up to two days or in the freezer until you are ready to bake your favorite pie recipe.

1. https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/baking-basics-homemade-buttery-flaky-pie-crust/ ↩︎