Pie Crust really IS easy!

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When I learned this recipe for pie crust and realized how easy it is to make I became obsessed with baking pies! Let me ask you something. When an ingredient list of a recipe starts with a pie crust do you instantly think Pillsbury? Have you actually looked at the list of ingredients in your Pillsbury shortcut? Well I am here to tell you that making your own pie crust is EASY. You for sure have the ingredients right in your pantry and it takes not even ten minutes to pull together. Seriously it’s flour, salt, sugar, eggs, milk and butter. That’s IT. Some of the ingredients in the store bought crust I can’t even pronounce. That doesn’t seem right to me.

What? You can make pie crust dough ahead and freeze?!

Yes. Yes you can. Now while this dough comes together fast that doesn’t mean you’re baking a pie in ten minutes, you will still need to have patience. The dough will need to chill and might require a pre-bake or “blind bake” depending on the pie you’re making. This you can do while you make your filling but the crust it self should not scare you…I promise YOU CAN DO IT. You can even make this crust in batches and freeze it! When you want to bake a pie just grab an uncooked crust from your freezer the night before and stick it in your refrigerator. The next morning you’re ready to bake.

You can also use this dough for other things like fruit turnovers, homemade pop tarts or you can go savory and make a quiche. It’s so flaky and buttery you’ll never make or use a crust made with shortening or lard again. Lard is just a terrible word. I am sure it has its place in the culinary world but it does NOT belong in my sweet treats.

Follow along with the following recipe and tips and you will be surprised how making your own dough is easier than going to the store and buying a premade crust.

Measure By Weight

My kitchen scale has won me over. You would be surprised how when you measure flour with a measuring cup how it is actually a different amount every time. Baking is science so it is important to be precise with your measured ingredients. When I started to weigh my ingredients that’s when this recipe started to be full proof for me. Works every time. Plus fewer dishes to clean because you can measure right in to your mixing bowl.

I have an inexpensive kitchen scale I got right at the grocery store. I’ve seen them at Walmart, Target or you can get one on “The Line” (and by the line I mean Amazon). I am linking a great option for you right here. (#sponsered link)

Read the pie crust recipe all the way through and gather ingredients before you start.

Believe me when I say it really will SAVE you time if you read the entire recipe before you even plug your mixer in. That goes for ANY recipe really. Save yourself the frustration of getting three quarters of the way through a recipe to discover you are missing an ingredient or that you don’t have enough of an ingredient. Or something takes time you didn’t realize you needed etc. Has happened to me more times than I can count.

Do NOT overmix!

After combining your flour, sugar and salt, add cold butter and turn mixer on low speed. Right now you are coating the FLOUR with BUTTER not the other way around. Mix until it is crumbly. You should still have some mid to small size pieces of butter in tact. You know its done when you grab a handful and it feels like flour but when you squeeze it in your hand it stays together.

Next combine your cold milk and egg yolks together and add to the dough. Mix just until there is no more flour visible. That’s it. Stop now. Pour out on to your counter and loosely combine in to a mound. With the heel of your palm smear the dough away from you until you’ve gone through the whole mound.

Now you will gather the dough in to a round ball and wrap tightly in saran wrap. Press dough in to a flat circle. Pop in your fridge and chill for 24 hours.

Use with in 3 days from your refrigerator or pop in your freezer for up to 1 month. When you go to use frozen dough make sure to put it in your refrigerator to thaw the day before you plan to bake. When you go to roll this dough out make sure you use a good amount of flour on the counter as well as on top of the dough. You don’t want it to start to stick to the counter or rolling pin. That means the butter is starting to melt. If your dough is chilled the flour won’t incorporate in to the dough so make sure you use enough.

This post was a step by step tutorial on how to make pie crust. I can’t wait to hear how it worked out for you.