Pie Crust Tips

If you’ve been following this blog for very long, you know how much I love pie.  I was fortunate to grow up with a Grandmother who loved to bake pie.  She loved to serve me and the other members of our family one of her pies.  Now I find myself making homemade pies for my family and our friends.

I don’t have my Grandmother’s recipe.  In fact, I doubt that she had a recipe that was written down on paper.  She cooked and baked by feel, adding a bit of this or a bit of that.  She had been honing her skills for decades, recipes were no longer necessary by the time I was sitting in the kitchen watching her work her magic.

Pie was one of the first dishes that I taught myself to make.  I wanted so badly to master that flaky, delicious crust that my Grandmother had seemed to make so effortlessly.  I tried in vain, turning out pies that had tough, chewy dough where I had hoped that the light, flaky crust would be.

With each pie, my skills improved.  Along the way, I picked up a few tricks that have helped me to make flaky, light pie crusts without fail.  It seemed only fair for me to share a few of those tips with you.  I hope that you’ll find them helpful and that you’ll be enjoying a delicious homemade pie with your family this holiday season.

1. Pie Crust Tip #1:  Grate the Cold Butter
   Grating the butter creates tiny pieces that can easily and quickly be worked into the dry ingredients.  Less mixing will produce a flakier crust.  The cold bits of butter that are encased in a pie crust dough are what create that flaky, delicate crust as it bakes in the hot oven.
2. Pie Crust Tip #2:  Mix Less for a Flakier Crust
   When it comes to mixing dough for a pie crust, less is definitely more.  Stop mixing the dough as soon as it forms a ball.  It should still have visible bits of butter.  Overworking the  dough will encourage the gluten to develop in the flour and result in a crust that is chewy and tough.  Flaky pie crust is the result of a dough that is worked as little as possible.
3. Pie Crust Tip #3:  Put Down the Rolling Pin
   When you make a pie without a top crust, you don’t need to use a rolling pin.  Instead, simply transfer the dough to the bottom of your pie plate and press it into shape using your fingers.  Press the dough gently until it is of a uniform thickness and covers the bottom and sides of the pan completely. Flute or decorate the top edge as desired and chill the dough until needed.
4. Pie Crust Tip #4:  Use a Pie Bird
   I always use a pie bird when baking a pie with a top crust.  The pie bird allows excess steam from the bubbling pie filling to escape.  By allowing the steam to escape, the filling will thicken up beautifully and the top crust will bake more evenly, resulting in a flaky, delicate pie crust.