THE PERFECT PIE CRUST
the perfect pie crust is not as
simple as they say
1 pie crust (9 inch) - double the recipe if needing crust for top and bottom!
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
10 tbsp COLD unsalted butter
2-3 tbsp ice water
The Blistered Peppers Take:
Most recipes label pie crust as “easy” or “simple”, but for some reason it has always been a struggle for me to get right. This recipe works, but it requires time and patience.
BP tips- maybe you’ve heard them before but trust us, if you don’t follow these, it just doesn’t work:
Use COLD butter. After cutting the butter into pieces, place the cut pieces back in the fridge for a few minutes. Allowing the butter to cool again before mixing helps create that flakey crust.
Use ICE water.
Let the dough rest! The pie dough should rest in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours; you’ll get even better results if you can let it rest overnight.
When you have finished rolling out the pie crust, you’ll want to ensure the crust is draped over the edges of the pie pan. Sometimes crust can shrink, especially if it hasn’t rested enough, and that pie of yours won’t be looking so cute anymore. Once the pie crust is ready, place it in the fridge again before baking.
Steps:
Place the flour and salt in a food processor. Slowly add the cold butter pieces/cubes and pulse until the butter is pea-sized.
Slowly add the ice cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time. If the dough starts to bind together after just 2 tablespoons, then don’t add the additional tablespoon!
Take dough out of the processor. Form into a flat oval disk and cover in saran wrap, then place in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.
When the dough has cooled, roll out the dough on a floured surface (it should be about 1/8 inch thick). Place the dough in pie dish with remaining dough hanging over the edges.
Tricks: Place the pie dish face down onto the dough circle and flip it over so the dough covers the entire dish. Alternatively, you can roll the dough over your rolling pin and slowly unroll it over the pie dish.
Cut the excess dough from the edges so about 1/4 inch remains. Finally, use a fork to poke a few holes in the bottom of the crust (being careful not to poke all the way through the dough). Place in the fridge for 30 minutes or freezer for 5 minutes to cool.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
If you want to cook the bottom crust, you can either blind bake it using baking beans or dried rice, or you can bake it uncovered on a preheated baking sheet for 15 minutes.
Alternatively, you can wait to bake the bottom crust until your pie has been filled and covered - see alternate recipes for cooking times.
