This Flaky Pie Crust recipe is buttery, easy to work with, and only has four ingredients. It has been in my family for generations and is the only one I use!
Flaky Pie Crust Ingredients
I know making pie crust from scratch can be intimidating but this is fairly straight-forward. Let’s break it down piece by piece.
High Quality Flour
I use King Arthur flour for all of my baking needs. (Not an affiliate – just really like their flour!) This specific all-purpose flour has a higher protein percentage (11.7%) than most other brands. A higher protein percentage equates to a stronger flour. All-purpose flour serves a wide variety of baking needs from cakes to pies to some breads.
Salt
Salt is necessary to add flavor to your crust.
Shortening (Crisco – Butter Flavored)
We use all shortening in our crust. Specifically, we use Butter-Flavored Crisco. Shortening has a higher melting point than butter or lard, making it easier to work with and hold its shape. It also creates very tender baking goods. I like to measure out my shortening ahead of time and chill in the refrigerator before working into the flour.
Cold Water
It is important to use “ice cold” water when making your crust. The fat in the crust tends to warm as it is mixed with the flour. In order to achieve maximum flakiness, we need to prevent the fat from melting. Hence, the “ice cold” water. I typically fill a bowl with ice and water while collecting the rest of my ingredients so that it is nice and chilled when I am ready to begin.
Pie Crust Process
Now that we’ve covered the ingredients, let’s make our crust! This recipe makes a double crust.
Whisk Flour and Salt
In a medium bowl, measure flour and salt together with whisk. I recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the flour as it is very easy to add a bit too much. If you don’t have a scale, be sure to spoon your flour into a measuring cup and level off.
Add Shortening
Cut in shortening (Crisco) with a pastry cutter until crumbly and about the size of peas (do not overwork). Some pieces will be larger than others. Please see picture below.
Sprinkle in Water
Sprinkle in the cold water 1 Tbsp at a time and mix until the dough forms a ball. Only add as much water as needed to just come together. Adding too much water will require more flour which will, in turn, make the crust tough. If there is not enough water, the dough will be crumbly and will not form a ball. Mix the dough with a spoon until starting to form a ball and then turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Press together until all ingredients are fully incorporated and the dough feels smooth. It shouldn’t be sticky.
Divide Dough
Split the dough into two even balls. Press into round discs and run the edges of the disc along a hard surface or counter to smooth them. Smoothing them prior to wrapping in plastic wrap and refrigerating will result in a rounder crust when you roll it out. After smoothing, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate while making the rest of your pie. Dough can remain wrapped and refrigerated for up to 5 days or it can be frozen for up to 6 months. If freezing, wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and then place in a freezer storage bag. (Don’t forget to label and date your bag!)
Roll Out Dough
When you are ready to assemble your pie, roll out the bottom and top crusts separately on a lightly floured surface. Try to not press too hard with the rolling pin. Start from the center and work toward the edges, turning your crust every so often. Do your best to roll in one direction as rolling back and forth could possibly result in a tough crust. Roll the crust a bit larger than your 9 inch pie pan so you are able to trim and flute the edges.
Tips
- Measure correctly – I highly recommend using a kitchen scale when baking. Because baking measurements need to be exact, using a scale helps to measure as precisely as possible. It quite honestly was a complete game changer for me when I first started using one! I would be lost without it now.
- Aluminum foil – Making a ring of aluminum foil around your pie edges helps to prevent excess browning. Additionally, placing a sheet lined with aluminum foil on the bottom rack of your oven to catch drippings is highly recommended!
- Keep it cold – Measure out your shortening and chill it in the refrigerator prior to cutting it into the flour. Also, make sure your water is ice cold. Keeping all ingredients as cold as possible will result in maximum flakiness!
My Preferred Tools
You may already have many of these items in your kitchen. I recommend the following for this recipe:
- Pie Plate – 9.5″ diameter
- Pastry Cutter – to cut Crisco into flour
- Rolling Pin – to roll out pie crust
- Pizza Cutter – to cut crust into strips if doing a lattice crust
- Kitchen Scale – precisely measure ingredients
Flaky Pie Crust
This Flaky Pie Crust recipe is buttery, easy to work with, and only has four ingredients!
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups (320 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup (184 g) Crisco
- 8-10 Tbsp cold water (ice water)
Directions
- Step 1 Measure flour and salt together with whisk in mixing bowl.
- Step 2 Cut in shortening (Crisco) with pastry cutter until crumbly and about the size of peas (do not overwork).
- Step 3 Sprinkle in water 1 Tbsp at a time and mix until dough forms a ball.
- Step 4 Split into two even balls. Press into round discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate while making filling. Bake according to your pie instructions.
- Step 5 This makes a double crust. Dough can remain wrapped and refrigerated for up to 5 days or it can be frozen for up to 6 months. If freezing, wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and then place in a freezer storage bag.
Thank You for sharing your time with us
Thank you for visiting. I truly hope you love this recipe as much as I do. If you tried it, please share a comment below and let us know what you think or share a picture on Instagram. Tag @the_kelly_kitchen and hashtag it #the_kelly_kitchen
If you would like to know when we post new recipes, please subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. For video updates, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Have a wonderful day!
