How to Make the Perfect Pie Crust

Pie crusts. Even for the experienced baker, they can be intimidating. It's so easy to just go to the store and buy a pre-made crust, roll it out into your pie plate and...voila! Done!

But those refrigerated pie crusts simply don't have the same flavor and flakiness as a homemade crust. Nor do they have the same feeling of accomplishment. Trust us - pie crust is worth mastering, and it's not as difficult as it's made out to be!

First...the Recipe

Start your pie journey with as foolproof a recipe as you can find, such as our Vodka Pie Crust. No, it's not another wonky Top Chef creation; it’s a remarkable trick I found in a Cook’s Illustrated article years ago. Since alcohol doesn't promote gluten formation, replacing some of the water with vodka in pie dough yields a flakier, more tender crust. It works! Once I adapted my crust recipe to include this technique, there was no going back.

How to Roll Out Dough and Crimp a Crust

Remove pie dough from refrigerator 10 to 15 minutes before beginning. Place dough on floured surface; sprinkle it with a little flour. Using a floured rolling pin and working from the center out, roll dough into a round that is about 1½ inches larger than the diameter of the top of the pan, rolling from all angles for even thickness. Use a thin metal spatula to loosen dough from work surface. Fold the round in half, transfer it to a pie pan and unfold. Gently but snugly fit dough into pan. Use scissors to trim edges to about a oneinch overhang all around. Fold in and press together the overhanging dough to make a top edge.

To crimp edges, hold a small portion of the top edge between two fingers of one hand, then gently push the dough into a "V" with one finger from the opposite hand. Continue doing this all around the top edge of the pie crust. Refrigerate the crust 30 minutes or longer to let it relax again before filling and/ or baking.

How to Blind-Bake an Unfilled Pie Crust

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line pie crust with aluminum foil, leaving the top edges exposed. Fill pan with uncooked dried beans or pie-weights. Bake until edges are lightly colored, about 15 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Prick bottom and sides of crust in several places with a fork. If crust will be filled and baked again later, continue baking it now until the edges are golden brown, another 6 to 8 minutes. If the crust will not be baked further after the filling is added, continue baking it until it is well-browned, 10 to 15 minutes longer. (Should the crust begin to puff during this time, prick it lightly with a fork.)

Pie Crust Dos & Don'ts

DO use cold ingredients and cold equipment. This keeps the fat from blending too much with the flour, which would prevent flakiness in the crust.

DO use low-gluten flour, and only as much as is needed. Gluten makes dough strong and chewy, but you’re after tender and flaky here.

DO use only the minimum amount of water needed to bring the dough together.

DON’T over mix the dough. Handle it as little as possible to prevent gluten development.

DON’T hurry the process. Let the dough rest before and after rolling it out, to let the gluten relax.

DON’T stress about what type of fat to use. The choices are numerous. Pie experts Shelly Cross and Jill Long of humble, choose butter because of their “large and loyal following of vegetarians” and because “it tastes unbelievable.” But they also love lard from pastured hogs (and they will make lard crusts for customers who order in advance). Some bakers go for shortening, others choose vegetable oil and still others use a combination of fats.

DO keep in mind that, as pie author Anne Dimock has written, “The path you take to the perfect pie crust is very likely to be different than mine, but if you remember that it is a meditation as well as an object of desire, you’ll be fine.”

And finally, DON’T feel guilty about purchasing pie crusts if you don’t have time to make your own. I recommend a high-quality, Wisconsin-based company like Monique’s Pie Crusts, handmade from organic, locally sourced ingredients and available at several area grocery stores and food cooperatives.