Homemade Pie Crust and Recipe Chart with 5 Variations

Making Pies with My Mom

Every year, Mom would make pies for the freezer so we could have them for Sunday dinner during the winter. In total, we made around 15 to 20 apple or apricot pies from the fruit of the two trees we had in our backyard. So, yeah, we made a lot of pie crust dough, and I learned a lot during those years about it.

She would meticulously measure all of her ingredients and mix them carefully only to be disappointed. In time she switched to adding hot water to make her crust instead of cold icy water. This meant she used less water and the hot water made a crust that held up well for freezing... and she was masterful at making this crust year in and year out.

It turns out that the hot water made the crust come together more quickly and she used less water... and less water meant not working the dough so much to produce tough gluten.

However, over the years I realized her pie crust recipe required hot water also because the dough was too lean. The ratio of flour to fat was way too low which meant there was not enough fat to cover all of the flour and there was always some flour that was dry after the "cutting in" process.

Eureka! The hot water melted the fat and helped it cover the flour more efficiently. While this made a great crust for freezing, it was not very flaky and tender.

How to Make a Tender Flaky Pie Crust

First, some of the tricks for making pie crust are done to correct a recipe that does not work.

Nothing has to be extra super icy cold, not the fat nor the water. Cold is good enough.

And you don't need to add any extra protein like a beaten egg, acid to soften the dough, or booze to reduce the water in the crust as it bakes.

So for me, I realized all of the "tricks" in many recipes are completely unnecessary.

The second thing I learned, which took years of trial and error, is to make a fattier dough so I don't work so hard cutting the flour and fat together.

I've found the best ratio of flour to fat is 1 ¼ cups of flour to ½ cup of fat.

This recipe and the method I use are really simple, and you do not need a food processor or a special knack to make a delicious flaky crust.

Pie crust for me has been something like alchemy. Searching for that perfect flour-to-fat ratio, the perfect water volume, and the bare minimum time to mix the pie dough.

But, it's really not that difficult and I'm going to share the top 5 secrets I've learned over the years to make the perfect pie crust.

Rolling Out the Pie Crust Dough

If you have stored your pie crust dough in the refrigerator for longer than 20 minutes it will need to warm slightly for you to be able to roll it out. So, remove the pie crust dough from the refrigerator at least 20 minutes prior to rolling it out.

Sprinkle a work surface with flour. Place a disk of pie crust dough in the center of the work surface. With your fingers and the heel of your hand pat the dough out to prepare it for the rolling pin. Toss a small amount of flour beneath the disk to prevent it from sticking.

Roll the dough from the center out. Check often to ensure the dough is not sticking by lifting and rotating the dough. This is key. Lift the dough, throw some flour beneath it, and rotate the dough ¼ turn.

Roll the dough at least 2" larger than your pie pan. Place an upside-down pie pan on the dough to check for size.

Roll the dough onto the rolling pin to transfer it to the pan and gently ease the dough into the pan.

Trim any excess dough from the edge of the pan.

Fold the cut edge under the edge of the dough to create a thicker edge. Crimp or flute as desired. The pie crust is now ready to be filled and the pie baked.

My Top Tips

Making the Pie Crust Dough

♡ Measure and refrigerate the shortening before using. I generally allow 2 hours to chill it.

♡ Don't add the water 1 tablespoon at a time. Many recipes state to do this. But this overworks the pie crust dough and toughens it. Add half the water, fold the dough, and then add the rest of the water.

Rolling Out the Pie Crust

♡ Remove the pie crust dough from the refrigerator for 20 minutes before rolling it out. Overly cold dough is difficult to handle and will take longer to roll out.

♡ The most important thing is not to let the pie crust dough stick to the work surface. Periodically turning the dough as it is rolled, and adding flour as needed, is key to good roll-out.

Substitutions and Variations

There are several substitutions and variations of this Homemade Pie Crust, which is a half-butter and half-shortening crust. This chart shows the recipes for five variations: Basic Economy Crust, Hot Water Crust, Full Butter Crust, Cooking Oil Crust, and Sweet Cookie Crust. Each of these recipes has a simple substitution for the fat type, and each recipe makes two crusts.

Additionally, each pie crust variation on this chart follows the same ratio of flour to fat except for the cooking oil and the sweet cookie crust versions. Also listed are the methods for mixing the dough, baked texture, and baked color.