How to Make a Tender and Flaky Single Pie Crust

Making a pie crust that is flaky and tender is essential in the taste success of many recipes that include a pie crust (baked or unbaked) filled with puddings, berries, meats, and other ingredients. Here are the basics steps to pie crust success:

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Rolling pin, wax paper, pastry cutter, bowl, scissors or knife, pie pan, measuring cups and spoons
• All-purpose flour, shortening (vegetable, lard, butter), salt, sugar, ice water

1. 
   Ice water, flour, shortening, pastry cutter

   In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of flour with a pinch of salt and one-half teaspoon of sugar and stir with fork to mix.

2. 
   Pie crust ball

   Add 1/3 cup vegetable shortening and use pastry blender to cut in the shortening until it resembles the size of peas. Add a tablespoon of ice water at a time, blending gently with a fork until you can form a ball.

3. 
   Pie crust rolled out

   Moisten slightly your work surface and cover with two sheets of wax paper, side-by-side. Spread flour over the wax paper and your rolling pin and roll out your pastry ball to approximately two inches wider than your pie pan.

4. 
   Pie crust flipped over pan

   Place your pie pan upside down in the center of the rolled out pastry. Hold the pan with one hand and place your other hand under the wax paper and gently turn over the pastry onto the pan. Gently pull off the wax paper and carefully mold your pastry into the pan’s sides and bottom. With a scissors or knife, cut the edges of the pastry around the edges of the pan, leaving approximately 1 inch overlap. If there are “holes” in your pastry shell or along the crust, “patch” these with pieces of the pastry you cut off with the scissors, using your fingers dipped in the ice water. Flute the edges of your pastry crust with a fork or your fingers for a decorative edge.

5. 
   Single pie crust baked with filling

   If your recipe calls for a baked pie crust, place your unbaked pie crust on the top rack of your oven and bake at 400 F for 10 to 12 minutes or until crust is a golden color; or fill with the ingredients called for in the recipes that include an unbaked pastry shell and bake according to the recipe's directions.

Tips & Warnings

• Add only enough ice water to your flour-shortening mixture to form into a ball before rolling it out.
• The less handling you do of the pie crust, the more tender it will be.
• If you refrigerate your ball of pastry for an hour or longer, it will be easier to roll out.
• If baking an unfilled pie crust, watch carefully that the edges do not burn.

Resources

• Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum