Quintessential Flaky Pie Crust
Have you ever seen the movie Michael with John Travolta? There’s a scene in which Andie MacDowell sings about pie, and every time I make this crust that song pops into my head. Anyone else?
Whether you’re making a savory or sweet pie, choosing the right crust recipe can seem overwhelming. There’s a superfluous number of pie crust recipes out there, so why is this one deemed quintessential? Because it checks all the boxes: buttery, flaky, tasty, perfect density, golden, and aesthetically pretty. I’ve tested dozens and dozens of recipes on the path of creating my own, and the hack of grating the almost-frozen butter is hands down the easiest way to incorporate the cold butter for a finer, flakier crust!
I do recommend using an aig (egg) wash with a pastry brush (not silicone) around the edges before baking, as well as a silicone
pie crust shield to prevent burning while baking.
Elements
1-1/3 C All-Purpose Flour
1/4 Tsp Sea Salt
5 T Cold Butter
3 T Cold Vegetable Shortening
5 T Ice Water
1/2 C All-Purpose Flour for rolling
Directions
30 minutes prior to preparing dough, place butter in the freezer; do not cube or slice.
Place a box grater onto a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and grate butter using the mid-level (neither the largest nor the finest) grater surface.
TIP: Hold the butter with a paper towel so it doesn’t slip + you don’t cut your hand.
Place shredded butter into the refrigerator till ready to use.
In the large bowl of a food processor, add flour and sea salt; pulse a few times to incorporate dry ingredients together.
Add cold shortening to dry mixture and pulse to incorporate.
Add shredded butter to mixture and pulse until coarse (pea-sized) crumbs are formed; do not overwork dough.
Using the removable attachment at the top of your food processor, add a few tablespoons of ice water at a time and process on low. Continue adding water till you begin to see a ball of dough form.
Continue pulsing until most of the dough is formed.
Remove dough, form into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and gentle press into a thick circle.
place dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour prior to using.
Makes one 9” pie crust.
To achieve that lovely, fluted pie crust edge: tuck the overhanging dough under, touch your left hand pointer and thumb fingertips together, and bend your right hand pointer finger in half so you can use the knuckle. Place your left hand on the outside edge of the dough and your right hand on the inside edge of the dough. Press your knuckle into the crevice of the left hand fingers and pinch!
