EASY Pie Crust Recipe {made with oil} - Chocolate with Grace (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good pie crust? ›

1. Use Very Cold Butter or Fat. Butter, shortening, lard, or suet—whatever fat the recipe calls for should be well-chilled and cut into small pieces to start with for the flakiest crust in the end. The fat in a pie crust must maintain some of its integrity in the dough to make the crust truly flaky.

Make the dough: In a bowl, whisk together the salt, sugar, flour and cocoa. Use a pastry cutter to work in the butter, stopping when you have a mix of pea and kidney bean sized pats of butter. You can also do this in a stand mixer fitted with the spatula attachment. Make a well in the center and pour in the water.

“My preferred fat for pie crusts will always be butter. To me, it is all about flavor, and no other fat gives flavor to a crust like butter does. Other fats, even though they have great pros, lack flavor,” De Sa Martins said. “The more flavorful the butter, the more flavor your pie crust will have,” Huntsberger added.

#2—Add cold water

Before you start making the dough, fill a glass with ice and water. Add the ice water gradually to the dough, about one tablespoon or so at a time, and stop when the dough is just moist enough to hold together when a handful is squeezed.

You do not need to pre-bake a pie crust for an apple pie or any baked fruit pie really, but we do freeze the dough to help it stay put. Pre-baking the pie crust is only required when making a custard pie OR when making a fresh fruit pie. you should probably get: Pie weights are super helpful to have for pre-baking.

With docking, the holes allow steam to escape, so the crust should stay flat against the baking dish when it isn't held down by pie weights or a filling. Otherwise the crust can puff up, not only impacting appearance but also leaving you with less space for whatever filling you have planned.

The protein from the egg white creates a seal between the crust and the filling and prevents the filling from making the crust too soggy. I've recently started doing this extra step and while it's not 100% necessary, it does add a little extra reassurance to keep your pie crust firmer.

A soggy bottom crust happens when the wet filling of your pie soaks into the raw pie dough beneath before it's had a chance to set, causing it to become sodden and gummy. This is particularly problematic with both fruit pie and custard fillings because they have high moisture content.

Since it was invented it has become one of the most popular desserts in the world probably. Crack Pie is made of an oatmeal cookie crust filled with rich buttery pudding made mostly out of sugar, butter, cream and egg yolks. After baking it receives a golden top that is especially attractive and tempting.

Why do you put milk on a pie crust? ›

Milk and cream washes—shiny, but not as yellow. Then what does a milk wash do? A milk wash is used to encourage browning of the crust color, but also imparts flavor.

PIE DOUGH RULES

As important as not overmixing is staying chilled, literally!! That means keeping all elements cold— your counter, ingredients, hands, heart (just kidding!). No, but seriously, cut up your butter into little cubes and chill them before you incorporate them into the flour.

Traditionally, what you're looking for in a pie crust are three basic things: you want it to be fully cooked through, without any doughiness between the filling and the bottom crust, you want the crust to be light and flaky with discernible layers, and, of course, you want there to be a rich, buttery flavor.

Don't worry about making it perfect, especially if it's just for family. It'll tastes good no matter how it looks. Why do you put vinegar in pie crust? It makes the pie crust exceedingly tender and flaky.

If your recipe calls for an egg yolk, know that the yolk adds fat as well as natural lecithin, which makes the dough pliable and easier to handle.