A homemade Pie Crust Recipe anyone can bake! Learn how to make pie crust from scratch with this easy, fool proof pie crust recipe!
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If you're intimidated by making your own pie crust, I promise you this homemade pie crust is SO easy to make!
6 simple ingredients come together to create the most tender and tasty pie crust, perfect for your favorite pie fillings.
What type of pie can I make with this homemade pie crust recipe?
- Fruit Pies: Our Apple Pie Filling, Peach Pie Filling, and Blueberry Pie Filling are all perfect options for this pie crust. So is this Best Apple Streusel Pie!
- Custard Pies: A simple custard pie or a warm pumpkin pie would taste delicious.
- Double Crust Pies: For any pie where you need a bottom and a top crust, whether a full crust or a lattice top this pie dough is perfect.
Simple Pie Crust Ingredients
- Sour cream
- Egg yolk
- all purpose flour
- white sugar
- salt
- salted butter
How to Make Pie Crust from Scratch
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and egg yolk until combined, and set aside.
- In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt a few times to combine.
- Add the butter and pulse until butter is in pea-size pieces, about 10 pulses, do not over-mix.
- Add half the sour cream and egg mixture and pulse about 5 times until combined, add the remaining sour cream mixture and pulse/process until it comes together completely.
- Gather the dough together into a smooth ball, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
How to Roll Out a Pie Crust
Knead the dough until it reaches a nice consistency and doesn’t stick to the side of the bowl anymore.
If it’s not sticking together well, knead in a bit more water. Liberally flour a flat, clean surface and the rolling pin. Roll the dough into a large circle without rolling it too thin.
How thick should a pie crust be?
The ideal thickness of a pie crust should be around ⅛th of an inch thick. Any thinner and you could end up with tears in the dough.
Any thicker and your crust won't bake through all the way.
How to Crimp Pie Crust
Gently pick up the crust and lay it over a greased pie pan. Gently coax it into place and cut away the excess dough. Go around the top edge of the dough, pinching it between your thumb and pointer finger making a crimp. Do this all the way around the pie.
Alternatively, you can use a fork crimp. Dust a fork in flour and gently press into the pie crust to leave indents. Try doing a crisscross pattern for another look.
How to make a Lattice Pie Crust
For a lattice pie crust, you'll want to make sure to double this recipe because you'll need another ball of dough for the lattice top.
- Roll out your pie dough as you did the first one.
- Cut the dough into even strips, no thinner than ½ inch.
- Prepare your pie with the filling.
- Lay down half of the strips on the pie.
- Fold every other strip back onto itself, then starting in the center lay a dough strip in the other direction.
- Fold the strips back down, then fold the remaining ones back onto themselves. Lay another dough strip down in the other direction. Repeat until you've reached the edge.
- Turn the pie around, and repeat the folding and laying steps until your pie has a completed lattice top.
How to keep Pie Crust from Shrinking
No one likes a shrunken pie crust. Here are a couple of tips to prevent a sinking pie crust.
- Don't use too much water. While baking the water will evaporate and could cause the shrinking of the crust.
- Pie weights. To prevent shrinking during a blind bake, filling your pie shell with parchment paper and pie weights should keep the crust in place throughout the whole bake.
- Chilling. Keeping your pie crust and all of its ingredients cold is important. Chilling throughout the preparation process will also maintain its cool temperature. Baking a warm pie crust will melt the butter and cause it to slump.
How to keep a Pie Crust from getting soggy
There are a few things you can do to keep the bottom of your crust from getting soggy.
Keep the moisture out to begin with: Cooking the liquid out of your fruit, or using sugar to draw the moisture out before putting it in the pie crust will prevent excess moisture.
Bake your pie on a preheated pizza stone. The extra heat from the stone will crisp up the bottom of your pie. It's best to preheat the stone with a baking sheet on top to collect any overflow from your pie.
Brush the surface of the crust before filling it with either a beaten egg, egg white, or chocolate. Create a moisture barrier to protect to bottom of the pie.
How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust
Prepare your pie dough and line your pie dish. Line your pie crust with parchment paper or foil then fill with pie weights of your choice. Popular options are dried beans, rice, or ceramic pie weights.
To do a partial blind bake for a pie that will go back into the oven: Bake at 425 F for 20 minutes. Remove the pie weights then brush the inside with egg white, and bake for another 5 minutes to set the egg white.
To do a fully blind bake for a pie that will NOT go back into the oven. Bake at 425 F for 20 minutes. Remove the pie weights then brush the inside with an egg white wash then bake for another 20 minutes. Cover the edges if they start to brown too much.
Note: It isn't necessary to use an egg wash on your pie crust, however, It will help to prevent a soggy crust by creating a moisture barrier between the filling and the crust.
How to Store Easy Homemade Pie Crust
Storing: Store an empty pie crust or a filled pie covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to a week. Check out this post on How to Store a Pie.
Freezing Pie Dough: You can store your pie dough disk in the freezer for future pies. Wrap securely in plastic wrap and store one or more in a large freezer bag.
How to Freeze Pie Crust: If you’re wanting a convenient pie crust on hand whenever you need it, simply make a few pie crusts and freeze them for later use.
Wrap securely in plastic wrap and then foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
Substitutions for this Recipe:
Salted Butter: Butter is essential to this recipe. We haven't tried it with dairy free butter but it might work!
Sugar: We don't recommend substituting white sugar unless you have to, but White sugar can be used interchangeably with brown sugar. You can add 1 teaspoon of molasses to white sugar to make brown sugar. Check out this post on Sugar Substitutes for Baking for other ideas.
All Purpose Flour: We don't recommend substituting the flour, but you can check out this article on Cake Flour vs. All-Purpose Flour or Substitutions for All-Purpose Flour
Egg yolk: We don't recommend substituting eggs, but you can read this article on Egg Substitutions for Baking if you need to substitute. Try it at your own risk!
Salt: We don't recommend substituting in this recipe, salt helps to elevate and balance flavors.
Sour Cream: Sour cream is essential for keeping this pie dough easy to handle.
Simple Pie Crust Recipe Tips & Variations
- How to Keep Pie Crust from Burning: Protecting the edges of the crust with either foil or a pie crust shield will keep it from burning. Check on your pie often.
- How to make Pie Crust without a Food Processor: Use a pastry cutter for each step in place of the food processor. Switch to using your hands after the second addition of sour cream mixture to bring the dough together.
- If Dough Is Too Dry: Add a tablespoon more water at a time if the crust is cracking or isn’t sticking together well. Knead the water in thoroughly before adding more.
How to Make Homemade Pie Crust FAQ
Leftover pie crust can be used in and for many dishes. You can make mini pies or tarts, cut shapes out of the dough, air fry, then toss in a cinnamon sugar mixture. or make sweet pop tarts, or a savory pizza pocket.
Butter or shortening will give you a delicious pie crust. Butter will give a flaky buttery crust, while shortening makes a tender crust and is an easier dough to work with. For a beginner baker, I'd recommend shortening which allows more flexibility when handling.
It's totally worth it to make your own pie crust! Homemade pie crust is much tastier, buttery, and so delicious compared to store bought pie crusts!
While the majority of pies are made with all-purpose flour, it is possible to make a pie crust with pastry flour, all-purpose flour, and even self-rising flour. All purpose flour is best for pie crust
Yes, you should add an egg to pie crust. Adding an egg yolk helps your pie in multiple ways. Eggs add a depth of richness and helps make a more pliable dough. In addition, adding an egg wash to the outer pie crust will create a nice golden color with a bit of shine after it's baked.
More Dessert Recipes You’ll Love:
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Peach Pie with Fresh or Frozen Peaches
- Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies
- Easy Pumpkin Bars
- Blueberry Pie Bars Recipe
Helpful Tools for making a pie:
- pie crust weights
- pie crust shield
- pastry cutter
- food processor
Simple Pie Crust
Ingredients
- ¼ cup sour cream cold
- 1 large egg yolk cold
- 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons salted butter cut into small cubes, chilled
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and egg yolk until combined, set aside.
- In the work bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt a few times to combine.
- Add the butter and pulse until butter is in pea size pieces, about 10 pulses, do not over mix.
- Add half the sour cream and egg mixture and pulse about 5 times until combined, add the remaining sour cream mixture and pulse/process until it comes together completely.
- Gather the dough together into a smooth ball, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Notes
- If it’s too dry - Add a tablespoon more water at a time if the crust is cracking or isn’t sticking together well. Knead the water in thoroughly before adding more.
- If the crust is too gooey - Add in a couple tablespoons more flour at a time if your crust is gooey and sticky to things. Knead it in fully before adding more.
- If the crust sticks to the counter - If your crust is sticking to the counter, it’s too wet and you’ll want to rip it up and knead some more flour into it. Also, you’ll want to make sure your entire surface is covered in a layer of flour or the crust may stick.
- To make the crust without a food processor, use a pastry cutter for each step in place of the food processor. Switch to using your hands after the second addition of sour cream mixture to bring the dough together.
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