How to Make Flakey Pie Crust

Learn how to make the best flakey pie crust! This recipe is perfect for all your sweet and savoury pies.

This post is all about how to make the best flakey pie crust. It is made with all butter and with a few professional tips, you can also master the part of a crispy pie crust. 

I've made a gazillion worth of bad pie crusts back in the day. From all the mistakes I've made with pie crust making, I am humbled to say I've mastered the art of making the best super flakey pie crust. Now I have the recipe and tips for you! 

I started making pie at a young age. I made various pies for my dad because he loves desserts - especially pies. 

We used to go to this pie shop in West Vancouver. He loves their apple pie there. As the years go by, the price of pies also went up. Each year he complains about how it is not affordable anymore. One day, I decided to challenge myself to bake him the same (or better) pie for him. I mean, how hard can it be?

Little did I know, perfecting that crust was hard work without the right tips!

Let me share with you the recipe I perfected over the years of constantly failing.  I made it easy (made with only a food processor) and some professional tips to get you started with the perfect crust on your first try!

What is Parbaking?

Parbaking refers to partially baking a bottom crust before filling it and continuing to bake it. It is also known as blind baking.

It is usually one with single-crusted pies to ensure that the curst will be filled bake. By the time the filling is done. Pie shells can be parbaked up to 24 hours in advance because they will refresh during their second trip to the oven. 

To parbake: shape the pie crust into the pie plate. Place parchment paper on top of the crust and put weights on it. I like to use ceramic pearls to weigh it down.

If you do not have ceramic pearls or you're looking for an economic hack for this, use beans. It works as well. Just remember to eat them within a week after you use it to parbake.

And please, once you finished parbaking the pie, remember to lift the opposite edges of the parchment paper to help remove all the ceramic pearls. 

My brain was not working, and I decided to dump the pearls instead of lifting the paper. It is very buttery and slippery underneath the pie plate and the half-baked crust. It will slide off with a small incline.

I use parbaking for my cherry pies, chocolate pudding pies, and ice cream pies!

Butter or lard?

Obviously, the right choice is to go all in with the butter. The taste of butter dough has its unbeatable and mouth-watering taste. However, if you're looking for a more economical choice, half butter and half lard are also great options. You still get that hint of butter, but the texture is still there - super flakey and crispy pie crust. 

Vinegar or vodka?

Vinegar or vodka is added to the dough to stop the dough from developing gluten. We don't want gluten to develop because then the dough will not be flakey, ergo we don't knead the dough. 

To add vinegar: for a single-crust dough recipe, add 1 teaspoon of vinegar to the cold ice water. I usually opt for white or cider vinegar.

To add vodka: for a single-crust dough recipe add 1 tablespoon of vodka to the ice water.

Mixing the dough with a food processor

Using the food processor is the quickest way of cutting up the butter and mixing the dough together. Besides making the butter pie crust, it's also a great method for other doughs like Pate, brisee or dough for decor. 

Start by cutting the butter (or other fat) into 1 inch. Toss the butter in the flour/salt mixture to coat before adding the whole thing to the food processor. Pulse the mixture in a 3-second burst until the pieces of butter are the desired size. Slowly add your water and do small bursts. no more than 10-15 bursts. Make sure the butter sizes are walnut halves for flakey crust. 

Errors that may show up

Pie Error: Dough is too wet or Too Dry

Too Wet: When you feel the dough is sticky; it is too wet. You can add more flour when you roll the dough out. Start by generously dusting the surface of the dough disk with flour, and a bit more while you roll it out. When the dough doesn't feel sticky, add as little flour as you can.

Over wet dough will result in tough, hard, and overly crisp crusts. 

Too Dry: A little hard to fix compared to a too wet dough, but it just needs a small amount of water is all it's needed. Flatten the dough to about half an inch with your hands. Dip your hands in ice water and flick a few drops of water onto the surface. Fold the dough over its a few times. Do not knead. just fold. Once the water is incorporated, form the dough into a disk and chill for 30 minutes for use. 

Pie Error: edge of the rolled-out dough breaks

This happens all the time to the best of us. When lining a pie plate, small tears in the dough and dough that is uneven around the edges are two of the most common issues. 

The best thing to do is patch the error with some extra dough. use dough from a spot that has excess dough. With scissors, cut a piece of dough about the size of your problem spot. 

If the dough is visibly floury, brush the excess flour away, then dip your finger in cold water and stick the scrap onto the place you need it. 

Pie Error: Dough breaks before it lands on pie plate

Once you perfected the size of the dough to the pie plate, it is hard to pick it up and nicely put it on the plate. What I do is roll the dough out and place the dough on the rolling pin in the middle. Hanging the flat rolled-out dough on the rolling pin is much easier to move and less likely to break. I let the rolling pin lift the dough out from the counter and 

Fool-Proofed Professional Tips

Pro Tip #1: Bake at 425F

Flakey doughs love high temperatures. The reason is actually the same reason those doughs like to be nicely chilled when they hit the oven. 

When the cold fat in the dough hits the heat of the oven, the moisture in the fat evaporates, creating pockets of steam. This steam pushes up the dough, creating lightness and flakiness galore. If your pie crusts are not crisp enough, it could be that your oven is not hot enough. 

Pro Tip #2: Chill the dough

Chilling the dough is important, and many common problems can be avoided by chilling it. Cold dough is easier to work with, it holds its shape better in the oven and it bakes up flakier. 

Three important times to chill the dough: After the dough comes together, before crimping, and before baking.

Pro Tip #3: Use a Freezer

Freezers are great to chill the dough cold or to ensure that the decorative features bake up beautifully. 

I like to give my pies a brief moment in the freezer (15-30 minutes) before it goes into the oven. That way it insure the crust is cold before it hits the flash of hot heat in the oven to get that super flakey crust. 

Pro Tip #4: use minimal flour

too much flour while rolling out the dough can ultimately over dry the dough. To roll out the dough uisng minimal flour you can use parchment paper under the dough to roll it out. That way it wont stick to the counter and you can use less flour. Once you get your ideal shape, you can easily peel the parchment paper off. 

Pro Tip #5: Use a Weight Scale

To be the most accurate, I strongly suggest to use a weight scale to measure out the ingredients. I find accuratcy is important for this recipe and using a scale over cups is the besest method to get the best results.