Making a flaky, tender pie crust requires several steps, including chilling the ingredients and dough at different points. Chilling the dough does two things: (1) it keeps the solid fat solid so that it will melt during baking, leaving flaky layers, and (2) it helps prevent the formation of gluten and helps the gluten relax, which keeps the dough tender.
When blind baking a crust, an additional chilling step helps keep the crust from sliding down the sides of the pie pan.
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Ingredients
1 3/4 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons (7 grams) salt
1 1/2 teaspoons (6 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (115 grams, 1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
1/4 cup (50 grams) cold shortening, cut into 6 pieces
4-6 tablespoons ice water
Directions
- Whisk the flour, salt, and sugar together in a medium bowl.
- Add the butter, and blend with a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingers until butter pieces are about the size of peas, with some slightly larger pieces. Add the shortening and blend until all pieces of solid fat are about the size of peas. Work with your fingers to ensure relatively even size of solid fat pieces.
- Add ice water, one tablespooon at a time, and toss flour/fat mixture with a fork to incorporate. If the flour is too dry, add another 1/2-1 tablespoon of ice water to moisten. Do not overmix. After all water is incorporated, gently press together into a disc.
- Wrap the disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to one day. If not using within 1 day, wrap in another layer of plastic wrap and freeze up to a month.
- To blind bake crust, roll out to about 1/8″ thickness. Place in baking pan and crimp sides. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to relax the gluten and re-chill the fat. This step will help keep the sides from shrinking while the crust is cooking.
- While shaped crust is chilling, preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- When dough has chilled, use a fork to prick all across the bottom to help prevent puffing. Cover the bottom and sides with parchment paper and use pie weights or beans to hold the parchment paper down. The weights should completely cover the bottom and securely hold the parchment paper down.
- Turn the oven down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place the crust in the oven.
- If using the crust for a custard pie or other pie that will be baked with filling, remove from oven after 15 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper and pie weights. Use a fork to prick additional holes around the bottom and sides of the crust. Bake for another 5-7 minutes, until the bottom just starts to brown. Proceed with custard recipe or other baked pie recipe as directed.
- If crust will be a shell for an unbaked filling, remove from oven after 15 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment paper and pie weights. Use a fork to prick additional holes around the bottom and sides of the crust. Bake for another 15 minutes, until crust is golden and baked through. Cool completely before filling.