This is how I pretty much always make my piecrust. It seems silly so many buy premade piecrust. It’s simple, cheap, quick, easy… why WOULD you buy one? And you can even make some yourself for the freezer. And if you don’t allready have a pastry blender… why? It’s cheaper than those piecrusts in your freezer 🙂 And it’ll come in handy for making biscuits. Now, some like to use shortening, lard, or margarine in their crust, but I swear unsalted butter makes the best, most wonderful and flaky piecrust. So just follow along, I promise it’ll be the best piecrust you’ve ever had. And don’t worry about making the perfect edge. It’s homemade and should look accordingly. And if you really struggle with it, just flop it about and call it a “rustic” pie. (I won’t tell)  🙂
PIECRUST
Makes one piecrust, large enough for a deep dish
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, COLD
4 T ice water, YES, ICE water
Mix flour and salt together in a bowl.
Cut butter into flour using a pastry blender.
(Push down and turn)
Continue until butter is the size of peas or so.
Drizzle water into bowl, one tablespoon at a time.
Mix in with a fork after each addition.
Stop when the dough is just starting to clump together.
Turn out onto plastic wrap.
You should be able to press together into a ball.
Wrap tightly with the plastic wrap, forming a disc.
Chill in the refrigerator for a half hour to hour.
Remove plastic wrap and place on a lightly floured mat or counter.
Using a rolling pin, roll from the middle outwards in all directions.
Roll out large enough to have a small overhang on pie pan.
Fold into fours.
Place in a pie pan, putting the middle corner in the center of the pan.
Drape into corners of pie pan.
Using kitchen scissors or a knife, cut around edge of pie pan.
Crimp edge with fingers.
See? Wasn’t that easy? Now, if you want some premade ones for the freezer, just make them in disposable pie pans and put in a freezer plastic bag in the freezer.
And if you want a two-crust pie, just double the recipe and crimp the two edges together after filling the pie and topping with the second crust.
*BONUS RECIPE! Use your leftover crust, or even double it, and roll out, cut in strips, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 400 degrees until golden and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, COLD
- 4 T ice water, YES, ICE water
Instructions
- Mix flour and salt together in a bowl.
- Cut butter into flour using a pastry blender.
- (Push down and turn)
- Continue until butter is the size of peas or so.
- Drizzle water into bowl, one tablespoon at a time.
- Mix in with a fork after each addition.
- Stop when the dough is just starting to clump together.
- Turn out onto plastic wrap.
- You should be able to press together into a ball.
- Wrap tightly with the plastic wrap, forming a disc.
- Chill in the refrigerator for a half hour to hour.
- Remove plastic wrap and place on a lightly floured mat or counter.
- Using a rolling pin, roll from the middle outwards in all directions.
- Roll out large enough to have a small overhang on pie pan.
- Fold into fours.
- Place in a pie pan, putting the middle corner in the center of the pan.
- Drape into corners of pie pan.
- Using kitchen scissors or a knife, cut around edge of pie pan.
- Crimp edge with fingers.
- if you want some premade ones for the freezer, just make them in disposable pie pans and put in a freezer plastic bag in the freezer.
- And if you want a two-crust pie, just double the recipe and crimp the two edges together after filling the pie and topping with the second crust.
Use your leftover crust, or even double it, and roll out, cut in strips, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 400 degrees until golden and delicious!
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