No Fail Pie Crust

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Pie making conjures memories of my Mamaw gently pinching the fat into the flour with her hands and rolling out a disk of dough with her flour-dusted wooden rolling pin. Pies and fried pies were always a special treat for my family—and it all starts with a perfectly flaky, tender crust. This is my Mama’s tried and true pie crust recipe. No fuss, no fail, I promise, no freak-outs included.

Though I’ve modernized her recipe a bit by using a food processor instead of a pastry blender, the crust still turns out exactly like how my Mamaw made it.

tips for making no fail pie crust

A light, crisp finish is your goal for your pie crust. The full recipe is below, but here are some tips to ensure your No Fail Pie Crust turns out perfectly each time.

The shortening’s job in this crust is to prevent gluten from forming, which makes gummy or chewy end products like fluffy breads and soft cookies. We don’t want that here, and the shortening gets you to that flaky and crisp texture.
A food processor does a very good job of cutting shortening into the flour, but be careful not to overwork the dough. As soon as the dough begins to form a clump, stop. If your crust ends up tough after baking, you’ll know you went too far. It’s okay. Just top it with a scoop of ice cream, and move on. You’ll get it right next time.
The 10-minute resting period is absolutely essential. It helps relax the gluten or else your pie crust will be victim to shrinkage or sagging.
Unbaked pie dough can be stored up to three days in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer. Bring the dough to room temperature before rolling out. I like to have fried pie dough at the ready, so I take the extra step of rolling and cutting my dough into 4 to 6 inch circles, lightly flouring them on both sides, and then wrapping in plastic wrap to freeze until my cravings strike.

useful tools for making no fail pie crust

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Yield: One 9-inch crust

Author: Sweet Tea & Fried Pies

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No Fail Pie Crust

A tried and true pie crust recipe. Modernized a bit with the help a food processor, but still tastes like how my mamaw made it.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup shortening
⅓ cup ice water

Instructions:

Pulse flour and salt in a food processor, two pulses.
Pulse in half of the shortening until it looks like cornmeal. Then pulse in the remainder of the shortening until it looks like peas.
Add water one tablespoon at a time, blending flour and water until evenly dampened and the dough clumps.
Shape dough into a firm ball and let rest for 10 minutes before rolling.

Notes:

To store, form into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Dough can be refrigerate for up to three days. Let chilled dough soften slightly by sitting on the counter for about 10 minutes. Wrapped dough can be frozen for up to six months. If frozen, let dough thaw completely on the counter before rolling.

Calories

2293.75

Fat (grams)

156.20

Sat. Fat (grams)

62.35

Carbs (grams)

190.78

Fiber (grams)

6.75

Net carbs

184.03

Sugar (grams)

0.68

Protein (grams)

25.83

Sodium (milligrams)

2123.01

Cholesterol (grams)

86.10

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