How to Make Pie Crust

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How to Make Pie Crust

Pie crust is an essential part of making a pie because it should hold everything down together. Thanks to it you can slice the pie and have that nice, fully formed wedge on your plate.  If that’s not working out here’s a practical guide on how to make pie crust!

The first time that I made a pie, it was a disaster. Everything was falling apart, left and right, including or especially my self-esteem. But I got back on that horse and tried again, and I figured out how to make pie crust so that my evening has a happy ending, like a Hollywood romantic comedy. Pie is amazing, and I don’t think I have to tell you how versatile it can be, how many fillings you can cook up for it and other things. Or maybe there is valuable input I might have, but for this time, let’s stick to the basics and learn how to make pie crust.

How to make pie crust in 14 easy steps

1. Gather your ingredients

For this, you will need butter kept in the freezer for about half an hour, two cups of flour, some salt, some sugar, two-thirds of a cup of butter and one cup of ice water. Why does the butter have to be kept in the freezer? Because it will melt gradually when cooked and it will also help create air pockets in the dough. That leads to a light crust, the kind that makes for an unforgettable pie.

As for the equipment, you’ll need a large bowl, a cheese grater (you’ll find out why in a moment) and a rolling pin.

2. Sift the flour

Sift your flour over the large bowl, but keep some of it for some dusting later.

3. Add salt and sugar

Add the salt and sugar to the flour and whisk it in gently.

4. Grate the butter

Grate the cold butter right over the flour. This is the simplest way to make the butter smaller and help it blend into the flour.

5. Mix the butter in the flour

You can do this with a whisk or with a food processor. But the important thing is not to overwork the dough because it might make it tough and hard to mold. The two are blended together when there is no more flour in your bowl.

6. Add the ice water

Make a dent in the dough and pour some of the ice water over it.

7. Work the dough

Mix the dough with your hands, until you can pinch it and it holds together and has a certain elasticity. If it doesn’t hold, add more ice water. Once again, do not overwork the dough or it will become tough. Also, the heat from your hands might make the butter meltier. So try to work with chilled hands and instruments.

8. Shape the dough

Work gently and shape the dough into spheres.

9. Refrigerate dough

The best pie will come out if the dough gets to the oven while still cold. So refrigerate it for half an hour.

10. Warm up

Remove dough from the cold zone and let it warm up for a couple of minutes.

11. Flour your workspace

Dust your clean workspace with flour. Also, flour your rolling pin.

12. Roll the dough

Roll the dough into a medium-thick circle.

13. Place on the pie plate

Make sure not to stretch the dough while doing this: place it over a pie plate, and gently press it down into the bottom and sides.

14. Cut excess

Use kitchen scissors to cut off excess around the edge of the pie plate. Fold the dough underneath itself. You can use your fingers or a fork to shape the edge of the dough. And also use a fork to pierce the bottom of the future pie so that it can breathe. Now the base of your pie is ready for fillings!

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