Best 5 Extra Flaky Pie Crust Recipes

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Achieving the perfect extra flaky pie crust can be a daunting task. With the right techniques and a few simple ingredients, you can create a crust that is both crispy and tender, with just the right amount of flakiness. This article will provide you with tips and tricks for making the best extra flaky pie crust, from selecting the right ingredients to mastering the art of rolling and baking.

Here are our top 5 tried and tested recipes!

FLAKY PIE CRUST



Flaky Pie Crust image

Good & easy enough for a beginner like me. It came from Bon Appetit June 2000 at Epicurious.com. This is my first posting on Recipezaar, but this turned out so beautifully that I had to share it. We don't have a have a food processor, so I used a whisk, (takes some elbow grease) and I didn't freeze the vegetable shortening, or chill the dough first, and I used regular margarine cold straight out of the frig., as we don't like butter. I put foil around the edges of the crust so that it wouldn't get too brown, and took them off at near the end of the baking time to a get a golden brown crust, and I did freeze the crusts in the pan before putting the pumpkin mixture in, as suggested in the Spiced Pumpkin Pie recipe I used. I also did as others suggested in rolling it out between 2 sheets of waxed paper, and dusting lightly with flour so it wouldn't stick & it was a dream to work with. It turned out great. I'll post the Spiced Pumpkin Pie also in case anyone wants to try it. This recipe makes enough dough for two crusts.

Provided by Teresa M

Categories     Pie

Time 1h10m

Yield 2 nine inch pie crusts, 16 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 7

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup vegetable shortening, frozen, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup chilled unsalted butter or 1/2 cup margarine
6 tablespoons ice water
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Steps:

  • Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor.
  • Add shortening and butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal.
  • Transfer mixture to bowl.
  • Mix 6 tablespoons ice water and vinegar in small bowl; pour over flour mixture.
  • Stir with fork until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry.
  • Gather dough into 2 balls; flatten each into disk.
  • Wrap each in plastic and chill 30 minutes.
  • (Can be prepared ahead and refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 1 month. If frozen, thaw overnight in refrigerator. Soften slightly at room temperature before using).
  • Zelly Bell I'd say you have a way more modern oven than I do, thank goodness, and you should "tailor" this recipe to what what works for you and your oven, as I imagine most ovens are newer than mine, which I'm just used to mine now, and can even bake good cookies from scratch with it now. This recipe is simply a good easy pie crust easy enough for a beginner in even a not user-friendly oven.
  • Please Do NOT be intimidated at making your own pie crust, it's not that much work and way worth it. It's more enjoyable when they compliment you to say, "I made it from scratch". Bottom line it's worth trying. If I can make a good pie crust you can too.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 202.2, Fat 14.5, SaturatedFat 6.1, Cholesterol 15.2, Sodium 183.1, Carbohydrate 16.1, Fiber 0.5, Sugar 1.2, Protein 2.1

EXTRA-FLAKY PIE CRUST



Extra-Flaky Pie Crust image

This easy, sturdy all-butter crust has one unorthodox ingredient in it: baking powder. Cheryl Day of Back in the Day Bakery in Savannah, Ga., learned to add a splash of apple cider vinegar to the dough from her grandmother; it helps the crust stay tender by preventing gluten from forming. But the baking powder gives it "a little lift," she said, which helps the butter and flour form flaky layers - like a biscuit.

Provided by Julia Moskin

Categories     snack, pies and tarts

Time 15m

Yield 2 (9-inch) pie crusts, or 1 double crust

Number Of Ingredients 7

2 1/2 cups/320 grams unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup/120 milliliters ice water
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 cup/225 grams cold unsalted butter (2 sticks), cut into 1-inch cubes

Steps:

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; set aside.
  • In a measuring cup or a small bowl, combine the water and vinegar; set aside.
  • Gently toss the butter in the flour mixture until coated, then use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour. (You should have pieces of butter that range from sandy patches to pea-size chunks, with some larger bits as well.)
  • Drizzle in about half of the ice water mixture and stir lightly with a fork until the flour is evenly moistened and the dough starts to come together. If the dough seems dry, add a little more ice water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time. The dough will still look a bit shaggy at this point. If you grab a small piece of dough and press it slightly with your hand, it should mostly hold together.
  • Dump the dough out onto an unfloured work surface and gather it together into a tight mound. Using the heel of your hand, smear the dough a little at a time, pushing it away from you and working your way down the mass of dough to create flat layers of flour and butter. Gather the dough back together with a bench scraper, layering the clumps of dough on top of one another.
  • Repeat the process once or twice more; the dough should still have some big pieces of butter visible.
  • Cut the dough in half. Shape each piece into a disk and flatten it. Wrap the disks in plastic and put in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, or overnight, to rest.
  • The dough can be stored for 3 days in the refrigerator or up to 1 month in the freezer. If making the dough in advance to freeze: Roll out the dough on a piece of parchment paper, then carefully roll it up in the parchment. Write the date on the parchment and pop into the freezer to firm up, about 30 minutes. Then wrap the crust securely in plastic wrap. Defrost the dough in the refrigerator overnight or thaw it on the kitchen counter for about 30 minutes before using.)
  • Use the dough for double-crust pie recipes or cut it into disks to prepare Berry Hand Pies.

BUTTER FLAKY PIE CRUST



Butter Flaky Pie Crust image

Butter makes this buttery flaky recipe the perfect crust for your pie!

Provided by Dana

Categories     Desserts     Pies     Pie Crusts     Pastry Crusts

Time 4h15m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 4

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, chilled and diced
¼ cup ice water

Steps:

  • In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
  • Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 172.8 calories, Carbohydrate 14.9 g, Cholesterol 30.5 mg, Fat 11.7 g, Fiber 0.5 g, Protein 2.1 g, SaturatedFat 7.3 g, Sodium 155 mg, Sugar 0.1 g

OLD FASHIONED FLAKY PIE CRUST



Old Fashioned Flaky Pie Crust image

This recipe has been handed down for over 80 years, I'm told. It makes the flakiest crust ever! Surprisingly, it is made with oil, not lard. This is a must-try.

Provided by LaDonna Langwell

Categories     Desserts     Pies     100+ Pie Crust Recipes     Pastry Crusts

Time 10m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 4

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil
3 ½ tablespoons water

Steps:

  • Whisk flour with salt in a bowl; use a fork to stir in vegetable oil. Mix in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, before adding more water. Gather dough into a ball, divide in half, and roll out on a floured work surface.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 220 calories, Carbohydrate 20.9 g, Fat 13.9 g, Fiber 0.7 g, Protein 2.8 g, SaturatedFat 2.2 g, Sodium 291.4 mg, Sugar 0.1 g

GRANDMOTHER'S SUPER FLAKY PIE CRUST



Grandmother's Super Flaky Pie Crust image

This pie crust is delicious for all pies. with all the butter in it, this crust always bakes perfectly, and is never tough. i got this from my Grandmother. The secret to this flaky, buttery soft pie crust is all in the margarine.

Provided by Elisebeth

Categories     Dessert

Time 45m

Yield 2 pie crusts

Number Of Ingredients 3

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup margarine, softened
3 tablespoons water (as needed)

Steps:

  • preheat oven to 350 F degrees (Fahreinheit).
  • pour flour into medium bowl, add margarine using pastry blender (or crisscrossing with knives) until lumps are slightly smaller than pea-size.
  • Add water. mix gently with fork until dough comes away from the sides of bowl. (you may need more water) be very gentle, and try not to mix too much.
  • transfer half of dough to a sheet of wax paper lightly sprinkled with flour. sprinkle a little flour onto top of pie dough.
  • cover pie dough with another sheet of wax paper.
  • roll out so the pie crust is level, and not too thick in one place, or too thin in another. (about 11 or 12 inches in diameter).
  • peel off top layer of wax paper from dough, and place pie pan on top of dough. carefully slide your hand underneath bottom layer of wax paper, and flip.
  • Then,carefully peel the wax paper from pie dough, and ease into pan.
  • repeat steps 4-8 with other half of dough.
  • Bake for 15 min, or so or until golden brown in color.
  • Fill with any pie filling!

Nutrition Facts : Calories 1063.3, Fat 69.3, SaturatedFat 12, Sodium 800.7, Carbohydrate 96.2, Fiber 3.4, Sugar 0.3, Protein 13.7

Tips:

  • Use cold butter. This will help to create a flaky crust. You can chill the butter in the freezer for 30 minutes before using it.
  • Work the butter into the flour quickly. Overworking the butter will make the crust tough. Use your fingertips to work the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.
  • Add ice water one tablespoon at a time. You want the dough to just come together. If you add too much water, the crust will be tough.
  • Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out. This will help to prevent the crust from shrinking in the oven.
  • Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. This will help to prevent the dough from sticking.
  • Use a sharp knife to cut the dough. This will help to create clean edges.
  • Bake the pie crust in a preheated oven. This will help to create a crispy crust.

Conclusion:

With a little practice, you'll be able to make flaky pie crusts that are perfect for any occasion. Just remember to use cold butter, work the butter into the flour quickly, add ice water one tablespoon at a time, chill the dough before rolling it out, roll the dough on a lightly floured surface, use a sharp knife to cut the dough, and bake the pie crust in a preheated oven.

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