Description
Grandma’s Pie Crust is a classic, flaky, and buttery pastry dough perfect for both single and double-crust pies. This recipe guides you through making a tender, golden crust using simple ingredients like flour, butter, and ice water, with tips for blind-baking or assembling filled pies.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup ice water, plus 1–2 tablespoons more as needed
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
Optional
- Additional all-purpose flour, for rolling and dusting
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl until they are evenly combined.
- Incorporate Butter: Add the cold, cubed unsalted butter into the flour mixture and cut it in using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining.
- Add Ice Water: Sprinkle in about half of the ice water and toss the mixture with a fork. Gradually add more water, one tablespoon at a time, just until the dough starts to hold together when pressed. The dough should appear shaggy and not wet.
- Form Dough Discs: Turn the dough onto a clean work surface and gently press it together. Divide it into two equal portions, shaping each into a flat disc. Wrap both discs tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour to chill.
- Roll Out Dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll out one chilled disc into a 12-inch circle. Fit it gently into a 9-inch pie plate, easing the dough into the corners without stretching. Trim the overhang to about 1 inch.
- Assemble Crust: For a double-crust pie, add your chosen pie filling, roll out the second disc to the same size, and lay it over the filling. Trim, tuck, and crimp the edges decoratively. For a single crust that requires blind-baking, prick the bottom crust with a fork, line it with parchment paper, and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
- Apply Egg Wash and Bake: Whisk the egg and milk to create an egg wash, then brush it over the top crust or exposed edges. For blind-baking, bake the crust at 400°F (200°C) for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden, removing the weights and parchment paper if finishing the bake. For filled pies, bake according to your filling recipe’s instructions until the crust is deeply golden and crisp.
Notes
- Keeping the butter cold is essential for a flaky crust.
- Do not overwork the dough to avoid toughness.
- Chilling the dough allows the gluten to relax and the butter to firm up, which helps with flakiness.
- Use pie weights or dried beans during blind-baking to prevent bubbling.
- If you want a browner crust, you can add a little sugar to the egg wash.
- Additional flour can be used sparingly while rolling to prevent sticking but avoid too much to keep the crust tender.
