Perfect Pie Crust

I know that’s a big claim, perfect pie crust. Aren’t we all looking for it? And don’t we all have a different definition of what that is?

My perfect pie crust is light and crisp more than flaky, just strong enough to hold up under a wet filling without getting soggy, and equally good with sweet or savory fillings. A big ask. Finally — and most importantly — it’s easy. If I can’t make homemade pie crust faster than I can go to the store to buy one, I’m not likely to do it, no matter how much better it tastes.

The secret to this pie crust is a humble piece of equipment I never knew I needed for pie until I tried it: a food processor.

Using a food processor to work the ingredients together prevents the two problems that are the death of good pie crust: 1 — overworking, and 2— getting too warm. Of course they’re related. If I’m working that pie crust to death, it’s going to keep getting warmer and warmer throughout the process. As it warms up, it becomes more fragile, which means it’s going to need more working to look good. All that working of the dough inevitably toughens it (the more you manipulate wheat flour, the more strings of gluten develop, which is great for bread and the death of pie crust).

And the prohibition against overworking holds true while you’re rolling out that crust as well. I like to use a well-floured rolling pin, roll gently and quickly, and STOP as soon as it’s done. If I get a crack, I’ll grab a bit of crust from an edge, seal a patch over the crack with a bit of cold water, and continue working… but don’t be temped to pull it back into a ball and start over. That might make your crust prettier, but it’ll be tough.

So get out your food processor, make sure your butter is cold, and get ready to make the quickest, easiest, most dependable pie crust in the land. And for goodness’ sake, believe the recipe when it tells you how long to mix things for. That’s all it needs.

Perfect Pie Crust

This recipe makes a single pie crust. For a double-crust pie, double the recipe.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) very cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
2 Tbsp ice water

Directions

1. Put the flour and sugar in the food processor with its standard blade. Process for 20 seconds.
2. Distribute the butter pieces over the flour mixture. Process until it resembles coarse meal, 15 or 20 seconds.
3. With the food processor running, pour the ice water in a steady stream into the feed tube. Process just until the dough comes together.
4. Knead the dough (only!) once or twice on a lightly floured surface, then form it into a thick disc, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for an hour.
5. Roll out the dough on a floured surface, taking care not to overwork it.
6. Fit the crust into your pie pan and trim the edges. Fitting the crust into the pan is easier if you gently fold it in half before lifting.
7. Return crust to refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or until ready to fill.
8. Bake according to your pie recipe directions. If blind baking the crust, pierce it all over with a fork, then place a layer of parchment paper down. On top of that add pie weights, dry beans, or a second pie pan. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes until the crust is golden and you can smell delicious pastry. (Really! Smell is the #1 indicator to me that my baked goods are done. Pay attention, you’ll get to know it.)