The Well Dressed Kitchen

Pie Crust

Tips On How To Bake The Perfect Pie Crust

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When it comes to Pie Recipes, the crust is just as important as the filling. Perfecting the skill of baking Pie Crust can take some time, but with my step-by-step instructions and tips you will be an expert in no time. Get ready to impress all your relatives this Holiday Season!!

Perfect Pie Crust

Here are a few things you need to know that will make baking pie crust a lot easier:

What you need: Pie dough (click here for Tips On How to Make and Freeze Pie Dough), rolling-pin, pie plate, flour.

How To Roll Out Dough:  Lightly flour a work surface, place dough disk on flour surface. Using a rolling-pin apply even pressure into dough, rolling away from you and back. This Marble Rolling Pin with Wooden Handle works great and is non-stick! Lift the dough and rotate the disk as you go, flipping it over occasionally. This will give you an even circle. If the dough starts to feel sticky, lightly dust the top of the dough or the rolling-pin with more flour. The dough should be roughly 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick. You can check that your dough is large enough by placing your pie plate in the center of the dough. You want a few extra inches because you will be covering the entire plate with dough and you want enough dough to fold edges in for a thicker border.

Perfect Pie Crust

Transfer dough into Pie Plate: Cover the entire plate with dough. It might be easier to fold the dough in half and gently set it down to cover half the plate, then open it up to cover the whole plate. Using your fingers, gently push the dough into the bottom and sides of the plate.

Trim the edges: I use a knife to trim the edges of the dough, leaving a 1/2 inch overhang. Then fold the edge of the dough underneath itself to create a thicker border.

Crimp the edges: Create a patterned edge on the outside of the pie plate by gently pressing your thumb of one hand against the edge of the dough while pressing your other thumb from the inside.  Complete the crimped pattern around the whole pie plate, rotating until done.

Pre-bake your Pie Dough: Pre-heat oven at 375 degree F. Poke wholes in bottom of crust using your fork. Bake for roughly 25 to 30 minutes or until edges start to brown and crisp. Poking holds in the bottom of the crust allows for steam to escape during the baking process.

Perfect Pie Crust

Why Should You Pre-bake?

Pre-baking keeps the rising steam from puffing up the layers of crust during baking resulting in a flaky pie crust. Pre-baking ensures that the crust doesn’t end up soggy and prevents an undercooked crust or filling. This step is essential for pie recipes that have a wet center.

Resist The Urge to Open The Oven Door
I know it’s so tempting to open that oven door to sneak a peek and enjoy that savory smell, but don’t do it!!! When you open the oven door you release a lot of heat resulting in a much longer cooking time and it can affect the shape and flakiness of your pie crust.

Start prepping for the Holidays NOW!! Click here for Tips on How to Make Pie Dough ahead of time and freeze.

Basic Homemade Pie Dough
 
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This dough is a basic recipe that requires minimal ingredients but results in a flaky crust that will impress everyone!
Ingredients
  • 1¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes
  • 3 Tbsp. cold water
Instructions
  1. In a stand mixer or using a handheld mixer, stir together the flour, sugar and salt in the mixer bowl.
  2. Add the cold, cubed butter and toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture.
  3. Mix on medium-low speed until the butter pieces are no larger than small peas, the texture should resemble coarse cornmeal.
  4. Add the water and mix on low speed just until the dough pulls together.
  5. Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk.
  6. *Makes enough dough for one 9-inch single-crust pie*
  7. If freezing for later use: Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until ready to use (dough will last up to 2 months in freezer).
  8. If pre-baking pie crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Flour your rolling surface and rolling pin. Place chilled dough disk onto a floured surface. Roll out the dough, rotating the dough as you go. Transfer the dough into the pie plate. Press the dough into the pie plate. Trim the edges. Crimp the edges using your fingers. Prick the bottom of pastry all over with a fork. Bake for about 30 minutes or until crust begins to color around the edges.

How To Make Pie Dough

TO MAKE THIS PIE DOUGH, I USE MY KITCHEN AID STAND MIXER, TRULY EVERY WELL DRESSED KITCHEN NEEDS ONE SO I HAVE LINKED BELOW.

For the Apple Pie Recipe I am making this Thanksgiving, click here!

I got this recipe on Audrey’s Apron Food Blog. She calls it the Best Apple Pie Ever and I agree! I have made this Apple Pie Recipe a handful of times and I just love it, the sauce smells amazing and tastes even better, it’s hard not to eat all of the filling before you have even have a chance to fill the pie crust!

DO YOU FIND THESE TIPS HELPFUL!?

Please let me know by leaving a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thewelldressedkitchen.

THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING ALONG! XOXO, BECCA @ THE WELL DRESSED KITCHEN! 💗

How To Make Pie Dough

Tips On How To Make and Freeze Homemade Pie Dough

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Planning ahead can be as easy as Pie! Make this Pie Dough this weekend, freeze ahead and be ready to bake the day of with no stress or effort. This dough is a basic recipe that requires minimal ingredients but results in a flaky crust that will impress everyone!

How To Make Pie Dough

I absolutely love spending my whole day in the kitchen baking. I know it might not sound appealing to some of you, which is why I am sharing how to make basic homemade pie dough ahead of time so when you are ready to bake those delicious pies over the Holidays, you won’t spend endless hours prepping in the kitchen.

Homemade Crusts will make such a difference in your pies in terms of flavor and texture. Plus, you probably have most of the ingredients already in your pantry.

Flour       Sugar        Salt        Butter        Water

How To Make Pie Dough

Making your own homemade crust can be difficult and intimidting. I made my first pies last year for Thanksgiving and I practiced for weeks leading up to the day. It took a lot of time and practice to perfect this skill and I am still no expert by any means. By the time it was Thanksgiving, I was over pies!! Instead of struggling as I did, follow these tips and learn how to make a pie crust that will impress all your relatives this year!

Tips to Making the Perfect Pie Dough:

Keep the butter cold:

For a flaky pie crust, you want your butter to be cold. When mixing butter in your dough, you actually want little chunks of butter roughly the size of peas and not any larger. When your crust is baking these little chunks of butter melt leaving air pockets. This will ensure you have the perfectly flaky pie crust! Believe me, this step is key… use COLD butter!

Let the dough chill:

The butter starts to warm as you’re making the dough. To avoid this, keep the dough chilled. If you find your dough becomes sticky when rolling it out, place the dough back in the fridge.

How to Make Dough and Freeze:

Step 1: In an electric stand mixer (or handheld mixer), stir together the flour, sugar and salt in the mixer bowl.
Step 2: Add the cubed butter (make sure butter is very cold) and toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture.
Step 3: Mix on medium-low speed until the butter pieces no larger than small peas, the texture should resemble coarse cornmeal.
Step 4: Add the water and mix on low speed just until the dough pulls together. The dough will pull dough quickly.
Step 5: Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk.
Step 6: Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until ready to use (dough will last up to 2 months in freezer).
*This recipes makes enough dough for one 9-inch single-crust pie. If you plan to make a lattice top you want to double this recipe.*

To make a double-crust pie: Double the recipe, cut the dough in half and pat each half into a round, flat disk.

Now that you have your Pie Dough, click here for Step-by-Step Instructions and Tips on How to Bake the Perfect Pie Crust.

How To Make Pie Dough

Basic Homemade Pie Dough
 
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Save Print
This dough is a basic recipe that requires minimal ingredients but results in a flaky crust that will impress everyone!
Ingredients
  • 1¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes
  • 3 Tbsp. cold water
Instructions
  1. In a stand mixer or using a handheld mixer, stir together the flour, sugar and salt in the mixer bowl.
  2. Add the cold, cubed butter and toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture.
  3. Mix on medium-low speed until the butter pieces are no larger than small peas, the texture should resemble coarse cornmeal.
  4. Add the water and mix on low speed just until the dough pulls together.
  5. Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk.
  6. *Makes enough dough for one 9-inch single-crust pie*
  7. If freezing for later use: Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until ready to use (dough will last up to 2 months in freezer).
  8. If baking pie crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Flour your rolling surface and rolling pin. Place chilled dough disk onto a floured surface. Roll out the dough, rotating the dough as you go. Transfer the dough into the pie plate. Press the dough into the pie plate. Trim the edges. Crimp the edges using your fingers. Prick the bottom of pastry all over with a fork. Bake for about 30 minutes or until crust begins to color around the edges.

How To Make Pie Dough

To make this Pie Dough, I use my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, truly every Well Dressed Kitchen needs one so I have linked below.

For the Apple Pie Recipe I am making this Thanksgiving, click here!

I got this recipe on Audrey’s Apron Food Blog. She calls it the Best Apple Pie Ever and I agree! I have made this Apple Pie Recipe a handful of times and I just love it, the sauce smells amazing and tastes even better, it’s hard not to eat all of the filling before you have even have a chance to fill the pie crust!

Do you find these Tips Helpful!?

Please let me know by leaving a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thewelldressedkitchen.

THANK YOU FOR FOLLOWING ALONG! XOXO, BECCA @ THE WELL DRESSED KITCHEN! 💗