Pies seem to be a staple on most tables for family events. Pies are so versatile in their contents, and size that they seem to be the perfect dinner desert! Whether it is a hand pie, a fried pie, or a simple pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, pies can be customized in so many ways! The one part of a pie that stays the same, is the crust. In this blog post, we will show a very simple crust recipe, instructions on how to prepare and use it, along with some favorite pie recipes to use with this crust!
I have to start by stating right now, I do NOT consider myself to be a very proficient baker. My cakes come out lopsided, my cupcakes look like a grade-schooler made them, and don't let me even start on how horrible the icing looks when I make cupcakes! The things I am good at in baking, are brownies, cookies and pies. Perhaps the most requested dessert I make, is the pecan pie, followed by blueberry and pumpkin. I won a blue ribbon once at our county fair with my blueberry pie. (pictured above) I consider it to be the prettiest thing I make!
For several years, I only used the refrigerated pie crusts, the idea of making my own crust was terrifying! Once I made a change in my family's diet to reduce sodium intake, I found out just how much sodium was contained in those ready-made crusts! I then found that making my own crusts really wasn't that difficult, and it reduced the sodium to ZERO without reducing the flavor!
Let me show you how I do it!
Pie Crust Recipe:
- 1/2 cup cold butter
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2-4 Tbsp. ice water
You are going to sift the flour, then cut in the butter until it is coarse. One at a time, add a tablespoon of the ice water and form into a solid ball. Coat the counter with flour, and roll it out. I typically use the roller to transfer to the greased pie dish. Gently pull half of the pie crust over the roller and lift by the roller. Arrange in pie dish, do whatever kind of decorative edging and then fill with the pie filling of your desire!
Sifting the flour helps to remove any lumps in the flour and makes mixing easier.
Cut the butter into the flour until it is coarsely mixed.
Add ice cold water, one tablespoon at a time and mix with your hands until you get a solid ball of dough.
You want a solid ball that sticks together easily without being too wet.
You can see I am no expert on rolling out the dough. On lightly floured surface, roll out dough until large enough to fit in pie dish.
Carefully transfer to pie dish and finish edges if doing a single crust pie. If you are doing a double crust, then just trim and leave until you place the top crust on.
I love this Classic Batter Bowl from Pampered Chef. It is easy to work the dough in, and since you can see through it, you know if there are dry spots on the bottom!
Non-baked pies:
If you are doing a pie with a refrigerated filling, you will need to blind bake the crust. To do this, line the crust with a piece of parchment paper, then fill with either pie weights (special balls used for blind baking crusts) or just some old beans will work as well. Bake at 350' for 12-15 minutes. Use the corners of the parchment paper to carefully lift out the weights or beans from the crust. Bake an additional 5-7 minutes or until the bottom of the pie crust looks light brown and flaky. Allow the pie crust to cool completely before adding your filling.
Using beans for blind baking is a cheap alternative to
using pie weights.
A perfectly blind baked pie crust.
Single Crust Pies:
Pies that only have a bottom crust that need to be baked, like a pecan pie, do not need to be blind baked. These crusts can be prepared and placed in the pie dish, then kept in the refrigerator for an hour or two until the filling is prepared for finishing the pie. If you have multiple pies to bake, I recommend getting the pie crusts all ready in the dishes beforehand. This will make the rest of the pie making go much faster, not having to roll out crusts in between each pie made.
Before filling the pie crust, poke a few holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork. This will allow steam to rise through the holes, and not create a bubble beneath the crust.
The crust in a single crust pie cooks along with the filling.
Double Crust Pies:
Pies that have a top and bottom crust need a little more work, and twice the crusts! For a double crust pie, place the bottom crust in the pie dish, poke some holes in the bottom of the crust, and place in the refrigerator for chilling while you prepare the filling. Go ahead and have the top crust made, just not rolled out yet, wrap in plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator until ready for it.
After the filling is prepared and in the bottom crust, you can prepare the top crust. There are several ways to prepare a top crust. Some pies, like cherry pie, looks beautiful with a lattice crust. Other pies, like apple pie, work great with a full top crust. I tend to do a full top crust, but I also decorate it as well.
If you are doing a lattice top crust, roll out your crust and cut it into long strips. I use a pizza cutter for this, it eliminates the drag on the crust. Carefully arrange the strips in a lattice pattern over the filling of the pie.
If you are doing a full top crust, roll out your curst and carefully place it over the entire pie.
Once the top crust is in place, (regardless of design) trim the excess crust from around the edge of the pie plate. Finish the edging of the crust around the pie, making sure to seal the edges together well. This will prevent any filling from oozing out the side of the pie while baking.
If using a full top crust on your pie, you will want to cut some steam vents in the top of the pie. Some full crust pies call for an egg wash mid-way through baking. Follow your recipe, the end result will depend on it!
Double crust blueberry pie with vents cut in top.
For decorations, a bit of leftover dough and some food coloring can add a fancy touch!
This pie recipe calls for an egg wash and a sprinkle of sugar mid-way through baking. It gives the pie a finished look after baking.
Regardless of what kind of filling is in your pie, this pie crust is sure to work well with it!
I am including the recipes for the pies I have shown here, they are my most requested pies for holidays and get togethers, maybe they will be yours too!
This recipe was shared with me by a friend. When asking for permission to share this recipe, I discovered it was originally her grandmother's recipe. (credit given on recipe card) It has become the all time favorite in my house!
This blueberry pie recipe was one I threw together 20+ years ago. I decided to enter it into the county fair and it won a blue ribbon!
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