As Ina suggests, if you are willing to follow a few, basic instructions, you’ll soon be on your way to creating delicious pie crusts of your very own. And whether you are baking at home or for guests of a bed & breakfast inn, this recipe makes a great addition to your collection, as there there just may be some opportunities to put it to use in the near future (hint, hint).
FYI – I am always on the lookout for terrific pie crust recipes. If you have a pie crust recipe you absolutely swear by (and one that’s nearly foolproof,) you are invited to share it (or provide a link) in the comment section of this post.
10 Easy Steps to Perfect Pie Crust
(recipe from Ina Garten)
- 12 tablespoons (1 & 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening (Ina suggests Crisco)
- 6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water
This recipe produces two 10-inch pie crusts.
Assembly
(1) Dice the butter and shortening and return it to the refrigerator while preparing the flour mixture. It’s extremely important that the cold ingredients remain cold.
(2) Place the flour, salt and sugar into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix.
(3) Using the pre-diced and chilled butter and shortening, add it to the flour mixture and pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas.
(4) With the food processor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and continue pulsing until the dough begins to form a ball.
(5) Dump the dough onto a floured surface and finish by rolling gently into a ball.
(6) Next, wrap the entire ball of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes (this relaxes the dough and is an important step before rolling.)
(7) When 30 minutes have elapsed, remove the ball of dough from the refrigerator and cut in equal halves.
(8) Roll each half onto a well-floured surface and form into a circle, rolling from the center of the dough to its edge.
(9) Turn and flour the dough often to make sure it isn’t sticking to your work surface.
(10) When the dough is rolled out to your required diameter, fold it in half and transfer to your pie pan or dish. Unfold gently, pressing and fitting the crust into the pan without stretching the dough.
Repeat as needed with the second crust.
Note – If you don’t need a second pie crust at the moment, you have two options: (1) halve the recipe above and prepare only one crust at a time, or (2) go ahead and prepare two crusts, only wrapping, folding and storing the second crust in your freezer until you need it next.
Freezing the second crust is a great way to plan ahead because you only make a one mess and you’ll have a homemade crust awaiting you next time you need a single-crust for pie.
To prepare a pie crust for freezing, simply layer it between two sheets of parchment paper (to prevent sticking) and begin by gently folding it in half, and then in half again, ultimately creating a crust that is folded into quarters. Next, wrap the folded crust in plastic wrap and place it inside a freezer-safe bag.
Be sure to write the date on the bag and use before the crust expires, approximately 6 months or longer.
