Pie Crust
Pie Crust
| Ingredient | Quantity | Unit |
| All-purpose flour | 2 | Cups |
| Salt | 1/2 | Teaspoon |
| Unsalted plant-based butter*, cold and cubed | 8 | Tablespoons |
| Vegetable shortening, cold | 2/3 | Cup |
| Ice-cold water | 6–8 | Tablespoons |
Instructions
- Cut the unsalted plant-based butter into small cubes. Place the butter and shortening in the freezer for at least 1 hour before making the dough.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and salt.
- Remove the butter and shortening from the freezer immediately before adding them to the flour mixture.
- Use a pastry cutter to cut the cold butter and shortening into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces of fat remaining.
- Add the ice-cold water 1 Tablespoon at a time, gently mixing with a fork after each addition.
- Stop adding water as soon as the dough begins to hold together. This typically takes 6–8 Tablespoons; avoid adding more than needed.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently bring it together with your hands. Do not knead or overwork the dough.
- Divide the dough in half and flatten each half into a disk. Wrap each disk tightly.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, to relax the dough and firm the fats.
- When ready to use, let the dough sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes, just until pliable enough to roll.
- Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to the thickness required by the finished pie recipe, then fit, fill, and bake as directed by that recipe.
Notes & Tweaks
*I use unsalted plant-based butter when developing this recipe. Unsalted dairy butter can be used instead if preferred, unless otherwise noted.
Par-baking is recipe-dependent. When a pie calls for it, dock the fitted crust with a fork, line it with parchment paper, and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. A 375°F bake for about 20 minutes is a practical baseline; then check the crust and continue only as needed until it is lightly golden. The finished pie recipe should override this baseline when it specifies a different temperature or timing.
Egg wash is optional and depends on the finished pie. A basic Get Baked egg wash is 1 large egg whisked with 1 Tablespoon oat milk. Add sugar or other toppings only when the finished pie recipe calls for them.
