Ah, pie. Such a great treat to be able to whip up in a fly whenever you have a craving for something sweet. And the best part is that most of the time, you have everything you need stored in your cupboard and fridge for making a pie. Except for one thing – and that’s a pie crust.
For some reason, I never seem to remember to pick up a few extra pie crusts and freeze them for later use, so I end up making them from scratch more often than not. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as knowing how to make pie crust is a great skill to have. And piping hot-out-of-the-oven pie crust is way better than your average store bought kind. Lucky for you, learning how to make pie crust is super simple – so much so, that you should never feel the need to buy store bought ever again.
How to Make Pie Crust
Contrary to popular belief, there are a number of ways to make a pie crust. You can make it out of crumbled cookies or flour. You can bake it or you can use a no-bake method. But there are two types of pie crust that are arguably the most popular to use: graham cracker crust and a flour dough crust. We’ll cover how to make both of these below.
How to Make Graham Cracker Pie Crust
Graham cracker pie crust is a very simple crust to make that pairs perfectly with cheesecake, chocolate mousse, and other pies that have a creamy filling. It’s also probably the easiest type of pie crust to make. Start by gathering the following ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups ground graham cracker crumbs
- 6 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1/3 cup of sugar
You’ll also need a pie plate, which is a round platter (with a diameter of 8″-9″) that has curved edges around to keep the shape of the pie crust. Next, mix the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Make sure it’s completely mixed together and then spread the mixture into the bottom of the pie plate. Use your hands to push the crumb mixture flat into the bottom of the pan, and press the mixture against the interior perimeter of the plate so that it molds completely to the inside. Place the pie crust in the fridge for an hour to set before using it.
How to Make a Flour Pie Crust
A flour pie crust is more traditional and what you think of when you think of a freshly baked apple pie. It’s a little more complicated than a graham cracker pie crust, but not by much. Start by pulling together the following ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks) cut into 1 Tbsp cubes (chilled – almost frozen)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- Ice water
To really make a good flour pie crust, you’ll need to enlist the help of a food processor. It’ll make the whole process super easy. Start by adding the flour, sugar, and salt into the food processor and mix until combined. Toss in half of the butter cubes (or 1/2 cup) and slowly pulse the food processor to break up the butter into smaller chunks. Two or three pulses should suffice. Next, add in the remainder of the butter and repeat the pulse process until the butter chunks are broken down into small pieces. Slowly add in 1 Tbsp of ice water (make sure there’s no ice in there!) and pulse to mix the dough together. Keep adding in 1 Tbsp of ice water after each pulse until you’ve mixed in about 7 -8 Tbsp of ice water total. The dough should be crumbly, but hold together if you squeeze some of it in your hand.
Spread out wax paper on a countertop and sprinkle with flour. Add the dough mixture on top of the countertop and push into a large mound. Divide the dough into two separate parts. Use the palm of your hands to push down on top of the mound to flatten the dough. Don’t knead it though, as that will make the crust turn out more tough rather than flaky. Do this to the other half of the dough so that you have two flat disks made of dough. Sprinkle the tops lightly with flour, top with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for 1 day. The next day, remove the disks and let sit at room temp for 10 minutes or until it’s soft enough to roll out with a rolling pin. Roll the dough out to 1/8″ thick and move to a pie plate. Push the dough firmly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate so that it covers the interior of the plate completely. If you have excess dough spilling over on top, cut the excess off and set aside.
Next, add the pie filling of your choice. Roll out the second disk of dough and place on top of the pie filling and use your fingers to squeeze close the top of the pie crust to the sides of the bottom crust. Score the top of the pie with two inch long openings so that steam can escape and place in the oven to bake (baking times will vary depending on the type of pie you’re making).
Now it’s your turn to sound off! Do you have a favorite type of pie crust? Share it with us in the comments!
