I love to make and bake homemade pie crusts and from time to time…I will even use a store-bought one if I’m pressed for time. Today…I am going to share with you 10 tips for making and baking pie crusts at home.
1. Read the recipe carefully and make note of the type of flour used, the amount of water added and how long you’ll need to knead the dough. Do not take shortcuts and follow the recipe carefully.
2. If your dough is too dry…add one teaspoon of ice cold water at a time. Mix the dough again and knead. If it’s still too dry…add another teaspoon of ice cold water and repeat the process until it’s of the desired consistency.
3. If your dough is too moist…try adding in more flour, one tablespoon at a time. Mix and knead the dough again. If it’s still too wet, add in another tablespoon of flour and repeat the process until it’s the desired consistency.
4. To prevent pie crust shrinkage during the baking process…chill it in the refrigerator for at least one hour and then proceed quickly with adding your filling and placing it into a preheated oven. Avoid baking in non-stick metal baking pans which cause the dough to shrink and at times…crack.
5. If you add a little bit of granulated sugar or a little bit of white vinegar to the dough while mixing it up…it will make for a more tender pie shell.
6. If you like a nice golden color to your pie shells…brush them lightly with milk, pure butter or cream.
7. For even baking and browning only bake on the center rack in your oven. If your oven tends to over-brown or over-cook items…decrease your baking temperature by 25 degrees.
8. If the edges of your pie crust brown too fast or start to burn, cover them up with strips of aluminum foil.
9. To keep freshly mixed dough from sticking to your hands…lightly spray both hands with olive oil.
10. If you decide to use a frozen pie shell that has cracked break it up into smaller pieces and make a puzzle top pie crust! These types of crusts are self-venting and are a great way to use up a cracked pie shell! (see the photo above)
Looking for the Perfect Pie Crust Recipe? I’ll be posting a recipe for you next week that’s one of my favorites and it’s really easy to make.
Well there you have it! 10 of my favorite tips when it comes to making and baking homemade pie shells! Do you have any tips that you would like to share? If so, leave your comments below in the blog’s comment form. Thanks!
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I used to be famous for my pie crusts (and probably still would be if I cooked for anyone other than my spouse). Many years ago, I saw Jacque Pepin demonstrating pastry dough on TV, and a light bulb went on over my head. It’s ultra important to mix and handle the dough as little as possible; there should be pieces of butter or shortening that are pea-sized or even larger. Keeping everything cold helps a lot, because those fat pieces shouldn’t be incorporated or allowed to melt until the crust is in the oven. That’s my best tip!
Love to try this never made my own pie crust before
I heard that vinegar tip many years ago & it WORKS!! I thought it sounded nuts, but vinegar really makes crust flaky & tender!
These are good tips. For a flaky crust make sure the butter is very cold and don’t over mix. it. It is important to let the dough rest for at least an hour in the refrigerator before rolling it out. You can also use an egg wash on the crust instead of milk or cream.
Really good tips! Last christmas and thanksgiving was the first time I made pie crusts from scratch and they turned out so so good. They wouldn’t have turned out as good if I didn’t google tips like these before starting. If it wasn’t for Google I’d probably be a terrible cook! Lol 😉
These are great tips for making homemade pie crust. Thank you for sharing these tips.