A terrific all-purpose pie crust from Elinor Klivans. Use it during the holiday season and all year long.
Ingredients
Makes one 9-inch crust
Step 1
Mix flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening. Using on/off turns, process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water over mixture. Process just until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill until dough is firm enough to roll out, about 30 minutes.
Step 2
Roll out dough on lightly floured work surface to 12-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold overhang under. Crimp edges decoratively. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
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Reviews (29)
Back to TopI've used this recipe twice for my pumpkin pies and I just use all butter for simplicity & convenience. The texture is delicate and VERY flaky on the edges, but the bottom holds up well to the filling after baking. I like that it's a recipe for one pie as I haven't yet needed to make 2 pies at a time. It's SOOO simple. But the tricky part is that the dough gets soft and difficult to handle after rolling out. So, I stick it back in the freezer (after it's rolled out flat) before I lay it out on the pie pan. This makes it easier for me to handle it to make the decorative edges.
Anonymous
California
10/2/2011
Good crust recipe for a quick single crust. I added a teaspoon of cider vinegar. Fairly easy to roll out.
Anonymous
New Liskeard
1/15/2011
I have been making pie crusts for years, and this is far and away the best I have tried! My husband loved it.
HudsonGal
Seattle, WA
8/16/2008
Absolutely love this recipe. I don't use trans fatty acids (Crisco) so I just substituted butter for the vegetable shortening and it was wonderful. I use this in all my recipes for pies and omit the sugar for quiche recipes.
rosebud819
Brunswick, Maine
1/25/2008
I think I just found the perfect pie crust recipe! I love to bake but have never been really happy with any of my crust recipes. This is so flaky and delicious you could eat it on its own. Wow. Definitely a winner!
Anonymous
Orange County, CA
6/15/2007
Easy to prepare and roll out. Flaky, too. I had been using the prepared refrigerator pie crusts, but using this recipe, homemake is not a hassle.
Anonymous
11/26/2006
I'm not a great pie maker but have made many pies throughout the years. I'm always searching for the perfect pie crust and I think I've found it! I used butter-flavored Crisco for the vegetable shortening, which I froze. I also froze the butter for a short time and made sure the water was very cold. I rolled the pie crust out on Saran Wrap, which I find easier to do than just rolling it out on the counter (this way transferring the pie crust to the pie plate is easy). I didn't add all the water called for and was afraid that I even added too much water, but the crust came out deliciously flavored and very flaky. Excellent recipe!
Anonymous
Agoura Hills, CA
7/8/2006
I made this crust with the "Pumpkin Spice Pie" on this website - I threw out the filling and just ate the crust. Good easy crust, and was nice and crunchy without having to blind-bake.
Anonymous
Victoria, Australia
7/4/2006
I love this crust! Flaky with just a touch of sweetness...goes great with any dessert pie.
Lids
Maine
1/12/2006
I think using pastry flour would make this crust perfect.
Anonymous
Jonesboro, AR
12/1/2005
I was very disappointed with this pie crust. It was difficult to roll out and wasn't as flaky as other crusts I've made. I doubled the recipe and didn't use a food processor.
Anonymous
Austin, TX
12/1/2005
perfect! A very easy crust. will make again and again. nice balance of richness/lightness and flakey texture.
stellafs
Chicago, IL
11/30/2005
A great basic pie crust. I try to avoid vegetable shortening as much as possible but an all butter crust is a little heavy. This one with just 2 T of shortening is perfect.
Anonymous
Atlanta
6/2/2005
Easy to handle when rolling and very easy to make with a food processor. This crust is flaky and full of flavor. This one is truly a winner!
amylee007
New York, NY
12/15/2004
The easiest and best pie crust I've ever attempted.
Anonymous
Newburyport, MA
11/24/2004
