This is our go-to Pie CrustRecipe -- it's simple to make (thank you, food processor!) and comes out perfectly flaky, tender, and buttery every time! Plus, we're passing along some great tips from a French pastry chef as well as directions to par bake (blind-bake) a crust if needed.
PREP: (The video in the post is a helpful visual!) Cut the butter into small cubes and then place back in the fridge. Fill up a small bowl with ice and water. Set aside for now.
MAKE THE CRUST IN THE FOOD PROCESSOR: (No food processor? See Note 2). Add flour, salt, and powdered sugar to a 10-14-cup food processor. Pulse twice just to mix. Add cubed and cold butter straight from the fridge and pulse 10-12 times in 1-second increments or until butter is the size of frozen peas. Add in the yolk only (no whites!) and 2 tablespoons of water. Pulse until dough comes together into crumbles, about 6 to 8 one-second pulses. Do not over-mix the dough in the food processor. The dough should still be crumbly when you are done mixing. That said, if everything looks sandy, add the last tablespoon of water and pulse 3-5 more times. Avoid over pulsing, never puree.
FORM INTO A DISC AND CHILL: Dump everything from the food processor onto a clean work surface. Without kneading at all, press the dough together into a round flat disc. Touch as little as possible! Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour, preferably 2 hours.
ROLL OUT THE CRUST: Pull out 2 large sheets of plastic wrap and set over a clean work surface. Unwrap and place chilled dough in the center of the plastic wrap sheets. Top the dough with one long sheet of parchment paper and begin to roll it out. Continue to roll out the pie crust. Roll it out 3-4 inches larger than the pie dish you'll be using. Roll until the dough is the proper size. Once the dough is fully rolled out, gently coax off the top layer of parchment paper. Use the overhang of plastic wrap on the bottom to pull the plastic wrap and crust up and off the counter and then transfer upside down into the pie tin. Drape dough over the pie tin (again, no pulling or stretching -- this causes shrinking) and press into place. Gently coax off the plastic wrap.
FINISHEDGES: If you will be adding a pie filling and another crust on top, transfer the crust to the freezer for 20 minutes before adding a cooled filling and top pie crust. If you are using just one crust, finish the edges here: Trim off any large amounts of excess pie dough and then fold the remaining excess under the edge and seal together into a thick snake-like crust edge. Even out the thickness around the edge and make sure the dough is sitting on the rim of the pan. Don't pull the crust -- this will make it shrink. Use both index fingers and your thumb to press the dough into a crimping pattern. Make sure your fingernails are short for the best results. Easier method: Seal the pie together and form the thick snake-like crust edge. Then use the tines of a fork to press on the edges of the pie creating a nice pattern.Now place in the freezer and freeze for at least 30 minutes (preferably an hour).
BAKE: A few options for baking: If the pie you are making bakes for longer than 40 minutes, you don't need to par-bake this bottom crust. Let the pie filling cool and put it into the pie crust. Bake according to recipe directions.PAR-BAKE: If the pie you are making bakes for less than 40 minutes, par-bake the crust. To do so: Remove the chilled crust from the freezer and use a fork to poke down the bottom of the crust a few times to keep it from bubbling. Place a large sheet (or 2) of parchment paper in the crust, leaving plenty of overhang for easy removal. Fill the entire base of the pie with pie weights, dried beans, rice, lentils, or even white sugar! Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. Remove the pie crust from the oven and use the overhang to gently pull out the parchment paper and weights. Return crust to the oven and bake for 5 more minutes. Remove and let cool completely before adding the filling.FULLY BAKE: Follow directions for par-baking, but instead, bake for 60-75 minutes at 350 degrees F. Remove from the oven and use the overhang to gently pull out the parchment paper and weights. If needed, protect the rim with a crust shield while baking. Let fully cool before adding the filling.
Video
Notes
Note 1: Egg yolk: Use only an egg yolk (straight from the fridge). Discard the whites or save them to use in this meringue cookies recipe!Note 2: Alternate method: If you don't have a food processor, you can still make this pie crust. Use a pastry cutter or even two table knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Then use a wooden spoon to mix through the egg yolk and water.Nutrition information is for the entire pie crust. Divide by the number of slices in the pie for individual nutrition figures.