Buttery Flakey Pie Crust
If you’re looking for the perfect crust for your pies, this here is the recipe. This pie crust is flaky, buttery, with a crumbly texture and perfectly balanced between sweet and salty. It would make any pie shine. Because, we all know–a crust can make or break a pie. I’ve had slices of pies that I didn’t even finish because the crust wasn’t worth eating. As a matter of fact, I’m not a huge pie fan and I know it’s because there are very few pie crusts that I like. So let’s dive in!
I saw this recipe in a recent cookbook I bought called Hungry for Home. The cookbook is a sort of visual journey into the author’s gorgeous Pennsylvania stone farmhouse, property, and a collection of her favorite recipes. I soaked up every page…admiring the beauty and could almost taste the mouth-watering food pictured in its pages. I earmarked this crust recipe, knowing I wanted to try my hand at what the author says is “the best crust I’ve ever had.” I’ve adapted the recipe for the blog and hope you love it as much as I do.
I’ve heard it’s helpful to use two different kinds of fat in crust recipes. One, of course, has to be butter (although I made this crust entirely out of coconut oil) and the other often times is Crisco. I switched out the Crisco that’s called for in the original recipe with Golden Barrel coconut oil. I still made sure it was chilled, so I measured out what I needed and placed it in a prep bowl in the freezer while I was getting ready. Cold ingredients are a must in pie crust recipes. Always chill your butter (I’ve even heard of grating frozen butter into your flour) and use ice cold water. And after your dough comes together, you want to wrap it in plastic wrap and stick the whole thing in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This allows the gluten to relax, making your crust super flakey and delicious.
After the dough chills for a while and you’re ready to start working with it, set it on the counter to let it soften a while. This makes working with it easier. Sprinkle your surface with some flour and roll that puppy out! I wanted more of a rustic crust for what I was making, so I basically laid the rolled out crust into the pie pan and pressed it gently into the pan. Feel free to “cut and paste” the crust as needed.
You can see the splotches of fat throughout–that’s what you want. This will result in flakey goodness. Yum.
I can’t wait to try making lots of different dishes with this pie crust. The first thing I made was a homemade quiche that my family gobbled up for dinner (recipe coming soon!) The next thing on my list to make is an apple pie. I’m thinking a good crumb topping covering some delicious apples paired with this crust is gonna be a real good thing. The possibilities are endless!
Do you have a favorite pie you like to make? I’m sure this crust would take it to the next level. Try it! And let me know what you think.
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp Golden Barrel organic cane sugar
- 6 Tbsp butter, cold and cut into chunks
- 4 Tbsp Golden Barrel coconut oil, chilled
- 3 Tbsp ice water
- Pulse all ingredients in food processor, pouring in ice water as needed until dough comes together. Press into disk shape and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to several days (can also be frozen at this point). Let dough come to room temperature before rolling.
- When ready to bake, flour a clean surface and sprinkle flour on top of dough. Roll evenly to 1/4" thickness and press into pie pan.
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