Single Pie Crust Recipe
Sometimes you just need a single pie crust and this recipe is the one to use. It turns out the most heavenly, flaky crust and it's proportioned to fit a deep-dish pie plate with enough extra for making a beautifully-crimped edge. Based on a recipe from Southern Living.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
- 2 tbsp. shortening, very cold and cubed freeze for an hour before using
- 3 to 4 tbsp. ice water
Instructions
Making the dough
- Add flour and salt to a food processor and give it a few pulses to mix it together. Add the butter and shortening and pulse a few more times until the mixture resembles small peas. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the ice water over the mixture and pulse just until the dough starts to clump together.
- At this point, remove the dough to a floured work surface and knead it to bring it together into a ball. If it's a bit crumbly, add more ice water - about one teaspoon at a time - until the dough comes together in a nice, smooth ball. (You can also add ice water to a spray bottle and spritz the dry areas with it.) Be careful not to handle the dough too much. Doing so will warm it up and make it tough. You shouldn't have to knead it more than a few times. It's okay if there are small chunks and streaks of butter when you're done - that will make it flaky!
- Flatten the dough ball it into a disk and smooth the edges. Wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days, till ready to use.
Rolling and forming the crust
- Once your dough is chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to sit on the counter for a few minutes. This can help make it easier to roll out. Just don't let it sit too long - you don't want it to warm up.
- Flour your work surface and rolling pin to keep the dough from sticking. You can also flour both sides of the dough and place the dough between sheets of plastic wrap for rolling. We've found that method works really well.
- Using your rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12-inch circle for standard 9-inch pie plates, or a 13 to 14-inch circle for deep dish pie plates. (My pie plate is 9.5 inches in diameter and 2 inches deep, and I can just squeak by with a 13-inch disk.)
- Place the rolled dough in your pie plate and gently press it along the bottom edges and up the sides. Fold the dough under along the rim and crimp it to form the edge of your crust. If you have excess hanging over, just trim it off with kitchen shears or a sharp knife. I usually have about a ½-inch hanging over to work with.
- Put the pie plate into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to chill. This helps the butter to firm up again, which is essential for a flaky crust.
Baking the crust
- While the dough chills, preheat your oven to 375℉. Then cut a section of parchment paper to line your crust for baking. Crumble the parchment up and smooth it back out. Crumbling it up makes it easier to fit the parchment into your pie plate.
- After the dough has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and line it with the parchment paper. Then add pie weights or dry beans on top of the parchment, moving them into the corners to keep everything evenly weighted and flat.
- Bake the crust for 14-16 minutes. Remove it from the over and carefully remove the parchment paper and weights. Then prick the bottom of the crust all over with the tines of a fork. (This prevents the crust from puffing up and creating an uneven surface).
- Return the crust to the oven and, depending on your needs, bake for another 15-18 minutes for a fully baked crust, or 7-10 minutes for a partially baked crust. A fully baked crust will be lightly golden brown all over. A parbaked crust will have just a hint of browning on the bottom.
- Once done, go forth with your recipe and enjoy your delicious pie!
Nutrition Facts
Single Pie Crust Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
197
% Daily Value*
Fat
13
g
20
%
Saturated Fat
7
g
44
%
Trans Fat
1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
4
g
Cholesterol
24
mg
8
%
Sodium
122
mg
5
%
Potassium
28
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
18
g
6
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
0.1
g
0
%
Protein
3
g
6
%
Vitamin A
277
IU
6
%
Calcium
6
mg
1
%
Iron
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.