Learn how to make a pie crust the way Grandma did. Grandma’s Pie Crust is buttery, flaky, and takes just a few minutes to make. It’s our long-time family favorite!
Homemade Pie Crust Recipe
I have always loved homemade pie crust. I grew up with homemade rather than store-bought crusts, so taking the extra time to make Grandma’s pie crust recipe is normal to me. It’s not that I’m above using store-bought crusts. I’ve used them in the past and will use them again in the future. Everyone needs a shortcut now and then. But there’s nothing like a homemade pie with flaky pie crust that almost melts in your mouth. To me, it’s the best part of the pie.
Today I’m sharing with you Matt’s grandma’s pie crust recipe. It’s been the only pie crust recipe I’ve used since I got married. It was in a family cookbook given to me at our wedding shower. The little cookbook falls open to this recipe automatically, the pages are worn and have stains from the many years of love it has endured. Don’t you love it when a favorite recipe card looks like that?
So what makes Grandma’s recipe so good? To be honest, I’m not sure. It’s probably the fact that it is Grandma’s. But I’m here today to share with you our hints for making what we think is the best pie crust ever.
How to Make Pie Crust
Pie Crust Ingredients:
- 3 cups Pastry flour. What kind of flour should you use for pie dough? Now you can use all-purpose flour if you’d like. We did for years. But when we switched to pastry flour, we started getting comments on how good our pie crust was. Pastry flour has low protein content which means it doesn’t generate as much gluten as white flour. This means you end up with tender crust. Perfect for pie. Here’s a great article on the different types of flours if you’re interested in reading up on them. A pastry flour crust is a little more of a fragile crust so you have to be careful that it doesn’t tear when you are moving it from the floured surface to the pie pan. If you choose to use all-purpose flour, make sure not to overmix the batter since this develops more gluten and makes the dough tougher.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup shortening and 1/2 cup butter. I believe butter vs shortening in pie dough is quite the debate. As much as I like using real butter, I’ve found that I like a combination of butter and shortening in my pie crust. Shortening produces a tender, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth crust, but butter produces an awesome flavor. I solve the problem by using some of both. And there’s one other thing. The butter and shortening should be cold. Keeping your fats cold produces a flakier crust. Those fats melt during baking and make flaky layers. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
- 1/2 cup ice water. Use cold water to help keep those fats cold.
- 1 tablespoon vinegar. Adding vinegar helps to tenderize the crust and also inhibits gluten development, keeping your dough soft. You need just a bit of this and don’t worry…you won’t taste it once the pie is baked.
How to Mix Pie Dough
We use a pastry cutter to cut the cold butter and shortening into the flour. This is one of our newest kitchen tools that we got for making scones. Don’t have one? You can get one here
. It is easy to use for making crumbs out of your flour/butter mixture for pie crusts, streusels, scones and more.
How to Roll Pie Dough
Another kitchen tool we use when making pie crust is our pastry mat. We happened to find an awesome deal on a new pastry mat at a garage sale this summer, but it is very similar to the one found here
. I don’t know what we did without this mat. It’s a non-slip mat that makes rolling out your dough so easy. And you don’t have to clean all that extra flour off your counter after you are finished. Just pick up the mat and rinse it in the sink. Normally I am against using “extra” kitchen tools that are supposed to help the cooking process, but this one really does make life easier.
Pie crust is the basis for so many of my favorite recipes. It doesn’t matter if the pie is filled with pumpkin, apple or even potato chips (yes, you need to check that one out). But you know what? We mostly make this pie dough for things other than pie. We’ll be sharing some with you soon. Here’s one, though….I love using a cookie cutter to make pie crust cookies to dip in pudding, or a whipped cream fruit salad. So much better than using a spoon!
Do you normally use store-bought pie crust or are you for homemade all the way? What’s your favorite thing to make from pie dough?
Best Pie Recipes
- Sour Cherry Pie
- Pumpkin Crumb Pie
- Pear Cranberry Pie
- Upside Down Apple Dumpling Pie
- Blueberry Blackberry Pie
Tools I Use To Make Flaky Pie Crust
- Pastry Cutter: I use this tool all the time. It cuts butter into flour perfectly for streusels, crusts and other pastries.
- Pastry Mat: This silicone mat keeps your cupboard clean and makes rolling out pastries so easy.
- Cute Pie Plate: Because if you’re taking the time to make pie, serve it up in style!
- Pie Crust Decorator Wheel: Makes beautiful edges to your pie!
- Pastry Guide: Makes perfectly round crust, every time.
Grandma's Pie Crust Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup cold butter
- 1/2 cup ice cold water
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
Instructions
- Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Cut in the shortening and the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix the water and vinegar together in a cup. Add the mixture to the crumbs. Mix together just until the dough is combined and handles well.
- Sprinkle flour on the counter before rolling out the dough. Split the dough into two chunks.
- Roll out one piece on a floured surface. Roll the dough about 1/2 an inch larger than your pie pan.
- Lay the crust in the pie pan and press down lightly on the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
- If you are making just a bottom crust, turn the edge under and use thumbs "flute" the edges of the dough.
- If you are making a double crusted pie, fill the pie, roll out the other half of the dough and lay it over top the filling. Fold the top dough under the bottom dough and use your fingers to seal it together.
- Bake according to your pie recipe.
- This recipes makes enough for a double crusted pie.
Video
Nutrition
Betty says
May I ask what is Pastry Flour? I’ve always used just All Purpose Flour.
Thank you for your recipe.
Betty from N.E. Arkansas
Julie Clark says
Pastry flour is a low protein flour that is great for pastries because it doesn’t develop gluten strands so easily. It just makes pastries more tender.
Susan Tipton says
I am 72 years old and have been baking and cooking for many years now. It is one of my passions but I have never heard of nor seen pastry flour. I have always just used all purpose flour. I have seen Cake Flour would that be the same as pastry flour? I love a flaky crust so I look forward to trying this recipe. Thank you.
Julie Clark says
Cake flour would be similar to pastry flour. All-purpose works also.
Judy says
Ts there something like a wash you put on the pie crust.
Julie Clark says
You can use an egg wash or milk if you’d like
Alma Yoder says
Before putting the top crust on, I like to moisten the top edge of the bottom crust. It helps to seal the top crust to the bottom.
I put a bit of milk over the top crust and Then sprinkle with sugar. Makes for a very nice looking pie.
Lilly Jean Smith says
I have been making pie crust since I was 12 years old. In my head. I say 1 and 1/2 to 1/2 to a 1/2.. which translates to 1 and 1/2 cups of flour, a half a teaspoon of salt, and a half a cup of shortening. This has always made enough for two 9 in. Can’t imagine how thick yours must be to be double my ingredients?? What size pie pan are you using? I do like the idea of substituting butter for 1/2 the shortening. Where do you get pastry flour?
Julie Clark says
We use deep dish 9″ pie plates. And yes, we usually have a little leftover. We buy pastry flour at a local bulk Amish store, but you can purchase it on Amazon also.
Marla M Nelson says
I also keep my pastry flour in the freezer and take out what I need to make pie crust then replace back into zip lock freezer bag . Make crust back into freezer for 20-30 minutes to re chill made up crust before I bake . If I fill with uncooked filling that’s quite liquidity I paint bottom of crust with slightly beaten egg white then fill and bake . If I fill with cooked filling in blind baked crust I paint bottom of cooked crust with melted candy coating and let that set up boded I fill with cooked cold filling ( such as a chocolate cream for instance ) . Works great !
Julie Clark says
Sounds so good! Thanks!
L says
At what temperature do I heat the oven?
Julie Clark says
400º degrees Fahrenheit in general, but use whatever temperature the recipe calls for for the type of pie you are making.
Cheryl L. says
I’ve tried several different pie crust recipes, however, they are usually time intensive and don’t always turn out as flakey as I’d like. Really looking forward to trying this recipe!
Patty Strock says
I have been using pastry flour for quite some time & I love the way it turns out? I don’t even use reg flour anymore .
Jeannie Smith says
Made it..a little dry and hard to handle gett6it in pie pa. Used cake flour a d got compliments on my spinach quiche…because of the crust. Froze other one to make a lemon meringue soon.
Amy says
I haven’t attempted this recipe yet, although I scanned through it looking for – and finding – what I consider to be key components to a flaky pie crust: ice cold water and minimal handling. I’m looking forward to trying this recipe because, as others have said, I adore a flaky, buttery pie crust. It just elevates an average pie to a masterpiece, imo! Thanks for sharing.
Gal says
Thank you very much. Your recipes are a great success every time.
Karen says
I have a pie crust recipe that I have used forever it’s my no fail pie crust you can’t mess it up it calls for 1 1/4 cup flour 1 egg yolk I stick cold butter 3 tablespoons ice cold butter mix refrigerate 20 minutes roll out it’s always flaky but I cannot wait to try your recipe
Julie Clark says
IT sounds so good! I’ll try yours 🙂
ShirleyD says
I use to make my own pie crusts all the time. Then Pillsbury came out with the already made crusts. Made it easy for me. Especially during the Thankgiving Holiday when I did a lot of pie baking, and cooking. Even when my daughter took over the majority of cooking as I got older. I loved it. I still made pies. However , continued with the ready-crusts. But now I kind of want to get back to ” Homemade Crusts” I think I can do it, but I’m not sure what I did with my equiment. Rolling pin, and the other utincils I need and mats with the marking lines. I do have measuring cups.but I want up to date other equipment can you fill me in as to where I can order this stuff? Thank You, for your time and attention.
Julie Clark says
You can order it on Amazon!
George says
I use the same recipe but use 1Tbe Vinegar 1 Egg & 4tbe of ice water
Judith says
If cake flour will do then all purpose flour can be used if made into cake flour. Would this do?
Julie Clark says
I haven’t tried that. Sorry!
Donna says
this is almost like my Gram’s except in the liquid – it is 1 beaten egg plus enough cold water to make 1/2 cup – great pie crust every time !!!