Planning for Pie Day - Sweet and Simple Crust

Pie Day is on Wednesday. I adore Pie Day. It is the day where my family gets together and bakes like crazy. We bake for our own feast, we bake for friends and neighbors. It is not uncommon to “borrow” a pie plate and return it with a fresh baked pie. Our staff even gets to go home early to spend the time with their families. It is just magical.

I wanted to share some of my favorite pie recipes with you this holiday season. However, every great pie starts with and needs a good crust. Today I wanted to share my mother’s very own pie crust recipe. It is deceptively easy and gives a buttery, flaky crust that won’t crumble when it comes time to serve. Are you ready? Let’s get started!

Recipe in Volume:

Measure the flour and salt into a food processor. Mix the two together well. Cut the butter into at least 9 pieces. Distribute the butter evenly over the flour and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the food processor running, pour the ice water in a steady stream through the feed tube and process just until the dough comes together.

Remove the dough from the food processor and knead the dough on a lightly floured surface to bring it together. This will take several turns. Shape the dough into a thick disk (or two disks for the double crust) and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Roll out the dough. You can use two pieces of waxed paper or plastic wrap to help you or if you are talented like my mother, just use your pastry cloth. Roll the dough into a circle 2 inches bigger than the pie plate. Transfer the dough to the pie plate and fit it into the pan. Trim the edges. Keep the crust in the refrigerator until ready to fill.

How easy was that? Remember, any filling you put into your lovely pie crust you want to be cool. Hot fillings can melt the butter prematurely, giving you that dreaded flat crust. Keeping the butter cool until you slide your pie into the oven does wonders for getting that perfectly flaky crust.