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Foolproof Pie Crust

Foolproof Pie Crust
Foolproof Pie Crust
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Flaky pie crust that complements any kind of pie

3 pies with tops*

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour**
1 3/4 cup butter or shortening
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 egg
1/2 cup cold water

1. In a mixing bowl, mix flour, salt and sugar. Cut in butter until pea-sized lumps remain.

2. In a separate bowl, beat vinegar, egg, and water. Add to flour/butter mixture and stir/mix just enough to make a dough. Mixture will be sticky still. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. (I usually refrigerate for an hour or more.)

3. Roll into shape (on floured surface) and use with fruit, pumpkin, or any pie requiring an unbaked crust. For pies requiring a pre-baked crust, bake at 425 degrees until slightly browned.

*This recipe will make three medium-thickness 9-inch pie crusts (including tops). If you like a thicker crust, it will do 2 pies with tops. If you roll really thin, you can get 4!

**Pastry flour works best; now that we have a wheat grinder, I like to use 100% whole wheat pastry flour in this recipe for a flaky, tender crust. The pastry flour is made with soft wheat (rather than hard wheat) and ground extra fine. 

Dough can be refrigerated up to three days or frozen until ready to use.

15 minutes + chilling time (15+ min)

This is an excellent pie crust, and as the recipe name indicates, turns out well every time! I like to make a double batch and freeze the extras for later. This is my staple pie dough recipe. My rating: 10/10


Average vote based on 7 reviews.
9.7
out of 10
User Reviews
10
out of 10
Perfect crust!
I have made this several times and it always turns out perfectly! No one ever leaves the crust behind when I use this recipe.

by Bethany on Sat, 2008-07-26 15:07
9
out of 10
confused--could there be too much liquid/not enough flour?

I have never made pie before--ever, so this was my first pie AND first dough experience(about an hour ago!)

I have just tasted the pie, and it tastes spectacular, but I must admit I had such a hard time with the dough. I'm wondering if you have to add flour when you are rolling, or maybe I got a bad kind of whole wheat flour? My dough was SO sticky, that even when I researched online how to roll it out(because I could NOT get it to stop sticking!) the suggestion was to use 2 sheets of wax paper--it even stuck to that.

The dough fell apart completely when I just took a piece out of the pie plate--but the taste is phenomenal.

Any pointers to a new dough baker?

Note from Tammy: When the dough is first mixed (don't over-mix!) it will be sticky. Cover and chill the dough.

When I'm ready to roll the crusts, I sprinkle flour onto the counter, cut off a wedge of dough, shape slightly by hand into a circle, and start rolling. Handling the dough too much can make it tough, and holding it in your hands too long will make it warm and sticky, and the crust won't be a flaky.

Add flour (by sprinkling with your fingers) as frequently as necessary while rolling out the crust. Roll some, sprinkle flour, gently flip the crust over, and sprinkle flour on the other side. You'll have to keep turning the crust over and sprinkling, or the moist "inside" of the dough will stick to the counter while you're rolling on top.

Basically, at all times, you want your crust to be laying on the lightly-floured counter but not stuck to it! :) I hope this makes sense and is helpful!


by JulieS on Fri, 2008-06-27 18:47
10
out of 10
Absolutely the best!
This recipe has the perfect title. I like the fact that it uses pretty healthy ingredients, and makes a lot at once. I chilled all the ingredients in the freezer before using, and rolled out my crust between pieces of wax paper. Worked beautifully! i don't use any other pie crust recipe now.

by Luv2write on Fri, 2008-06-27 14:41
10
out of 10
Wonderful
I was looking for a recipe without shortening and this one did the trick. I had no problems at all. I had just thrown out another supposedly foolproof recipe that would not hold together at all. I replaced the egg with Ener-G egg replacer because we can't use eggs. It seemed to do fine. I have a pie setting in the fridge right now and we will taste it tomorrow at dinner. The other two will be used for a pot pie or maybe an apple pie. I might try mixing in the food processor next time. Good job.

by Bizimom23 on Fri, 2007-03-16 19:28
10
out of 10
Delicious!
This is a wonderful pie crust. Great taste and texture. Nice and flaky. Thank you for sharing.

by des7 on Tue, 2007-02-20 15:53
10
out of 10
At long last: A no fuss crust that is flakey, tasty, and easy to prepare (10/10)
I am quite the pie crust critic. Too hard, too thick, too bland, to soggy, too burnt (!) -- I have had them all. Nothing ruins a good pie faster than a bad crust. Will I ever find a pie crust that is conistantly great?

Enter Tammy's pie crust! This recipe is fantastic! Fabulous! Incredible! Superlatives to the extreme! This recipe is great. It has that perfectly flakey texture that everyone wants while maintaining the buttery taste that compliments the pie filling. This crust is so good that I always try to sneak extra corners of adjacent pieces when cutting my piece out. Shameful? Yes! Worth the treasonous act? Most definately!

The best part of this recipe is that it is absoltely foolproof. A lot of recipes require you to adjust the amount of flour you use--too much or too little and you will either have a cracked, crumbly dry crust or a dense, tough crust. Not this recipe. Mix it, chill it, roll it out, and presto! A perfect crust that makes any pie even better. Bonus points: Try this recipe with Tammy's cherry, apple, or pumpkin pie filling.

by Joshua on Sat, 2006-07-01 07:06
10
out of 10
10/10
Please see the end of the recipe for my review. Thanks! ~ Tammy

by Tammy on Sat, 2006-07-01 06:04
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