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never fail flaky pie crust
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5 from 1 vote

Never Fail Flaky Pie Crust

Never Fail Flaky Pie Crust comes together so easily you'll be amazed! Buttery, Flaky and fool proof! This recipe is a keeper!
Prep Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: buttery pie crust, easy pie crust, flaky pie crust, pastry crust
Servings: 4 mini pie crusts
Calories: 361kcal

Equipment

  • Food Processor
  • Pastry Cutter
  • 2 Forks
  • Pastry Mat
  • Rolling Pin
  • Pie Pan

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup shortening
  • ¼ cup ice water

Instructions

  • Measure all your dry ingredients in the bowl of your food processor
  • Make sure your butter and shortening are well chilled as you measure them. If in a stick form, slice them into small pieces and add to the flour mixture.
  • Prepare your ice water and keep it nearby.
  • Pulse your food processor about 8-10 times just enough to mix the shortening and flour (SEE NOTES)
  • Add the chilled water to this mixture and pulse about 6-8 times till the mixture is just blended (SEE NOTES)
  • Put the mixture in a clean dish towel and gently press into a ball (SEE NOTES)
  • Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic and chill for an hour
  • After 1 hour, take out the dough and flatten it gently on your lightly floured pastry mat {if you don't have one, a clean kitchen surface will suffice}
  • Start rolling out the dough till you have a round shape about 1 inch larger than the base of your pie pan.
  • Gently transfer to your pan and fold the excess dough that is hanging, crimping gently to form a neat edge
  • Follow specific pie recipe instructions when baking the crust depending on the type of pie you are making

Notes

Pulsing The Food Processor - With pastry always remember not to over mix. This forms gluten and prevents the pastry from being flaky. So quick short pulses, just till the ingredients are blended into a grainy mixture is enough. 
Since Machines vary, you may end up pulsing a bit more or less but usually 10 pulses is the maximum I would give it.
Wrapping In A Dish Cloth - As soon as everything is mixed, turn the dough onto a clean dishcloth and use it to gently form a ball. No Kneading should be done. As soon as a round ball forms, flatten it into a disc, wrap it in plastic and chill for an hour.
Pastry Cutter Method -
  • Using your pastry cutter, start blending your fats with the dry ingredients. This step is crucial. The butter and shortening must be well chilled and its best to avoid using your hands at this point so the dough don't get warm. If you don't have a pastry cutter you can use 2 forks instead.
  • Mix these ingredients till you have approximately pea sized particles.
  • Taking a teaspoon of the chilled water at a time, gently start putting the dough together to form a ball. This step is also crucial as no kneading should be done and as soon as you have a nicely bound ball of dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for one hour minimum.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 361kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 294mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 355IU | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 2mg