I’ve always been a pie fan. I will choose pie over cookies or cake any day. I don’t think this is a coincidence, I’ve been spoiled in the pie department my whole life, and it starts with a perfect crust. My grandma’s perfect pie crust to be exact. She taught me everything I know about pie making.

If all you have ever had is store bought, or even some (sorry) restaurant pies, then you probably haven’t had the best crust, which in my opinion MAKES or BREAKS the pie experience. The crust has to be flaky, not too sweet, the edges need to be perfectly golden and not too thick. Kind of like Goldilocks finding the perfect bed, some pie crusts are just right. And this one, I promise is easy, and just right.

And just like my grandma, and her daddy:

“I like two kinds of pie- one crust pies and two crust pies.”

(But custard is my all time favorite, grandma’s is apple.)

This pie crust recipe fits two of my grandma’s old tin pie pans PERFECTLY. No waste, you know. So if you are using the disposable pie pans it will fit two of those as well, or one “two crust” pie, such as apple or cherry. But if you are using a glass pie pan, which tend to be larger, it will fit one pan. Plus you should have enough leftover to make a lattice, if you are doing a fruit pie.

So here we go, from my family to yours, Grandma’s Perfect Pie Crust!

The Process:

First, get a cup of ice water and set aside.

Then, In a bowl whisk together flour and salt.

Next “cut” in your Butter Crisco (YES, CRISCO! This recipe is Vegan). I use a pastry cutter, which is highly recommended, but you could use a fork, or even a food processor.

P.S. My pastry cutter is super old and it was handed down to me, which makes it very special. I think my pie pans and my pastry cutter are the two most important and special things in my kitchen.

Your mixture should look like small pebbles of sand when you are done.

Now take your ice water and measure out 1/4 cup. Pour into the “sand” mixture. Stir until the flour and crisco begin to form a ball. You may need one more tablespoon of water, but thats it.

Then take a piece of plastic wrap and place your ball of dough in the center, tightly wrap the dough and place in the fridge for about 10-20 mins. Cold dough is what makes your crust flaky!

I normally have the pie dough chilling while I make the filling for whatever pie I am making.

Spray your pie pan with cooking spray and set aside.

On a clean surface sprinkle some flour. This will help your dough not stick to the surface and tear.

Cut the dough in two (if making two pies) and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand, then put a little flour on your rolling pin and roll roll roll!

I typically flip the dough once towards the beginning, then just continue to alternate the direction of the rolling pin so it creates a circle.

Then pull your pie pan close, flip half of your dough over your rolling pan and GENTLY transfer to your pan.

Next, press dough into the pan and trim or patch up any edges of necessary. If your dough has some gaps towards the top just fill them in with extra pieces and use a fork to press the two joined pieces together.

My pie pans have fluted edges, so all I do is press them into the flutes. But if yours don’t use any design you like!

Before filling, score your dough with the prongs of a fork. Just a couple pokes on the bottom and sides. This will prevent it from potentially bubbling up on the bottom.

Voila! Your pie dough is ready for whatever filling you would like! Sweet or Savory! You can also blind bake your crust if your filling doesn’t require baking, or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for future use.

If you are freezing the pie dough, I recommend freezing it in the pan instead of in the ball to roll out later.

I hope you enjoy our families traditional pie crust as much as I do!

Recipe