This is hands down the best homemade pie crust ever and I’ll show you the secret to making it the flakiest most tender pie dough out there.
We are huge pie fans in our house and it doesn’t matter if it’s a key lime or a sweet potato pie, there’s always one lurking in the kitchen.
Homemade Pie Crust
Often times a recipe calls for you to use a pre-made pie crust. If you ask me, in no way does that mean you buy the pre-made circle cut out version from the refrigerated food aisle at the grocery store. Making it at home is so incredibly easy and only takes minutes to prepare.
The best part of any pie is the crust of course, and when you make it homemade it enhances the flavor of everything else. If this is your first time making it, follow along at just how easy this is.
What Makes It the Best
The absolute secret to making the flakiest most tender crust of all time is rendered bacon fat. I always tell you that whenever you cook bacon, you must keep the rendered fat. Back in the day, this was used for everything. In batters, to fry in, to coat with, it is gold and you should treat it as such.
In addition, you want to ensure the butter and/or bacon fat you are using is ice cold. If it is room temperature your dough will not hold together and fall while in the oven. Also, some folks chill the water and even the flour before making it.
How to Make It
Add the flour, salt, cold butter, and cold rendered bacon fat to a food processor and pulse on high speed until the fat is about the size of rice.
Slowly pour in ice-cold water while continuing to pulse at high speed until it forms a meal.
I know it’s finished by pinching it and it sticking together on its own.
Roll the dough out using a rolling pin on a clean surface dusted with flour until it is about 1/8″ to 1/4″ inches thick. Do not overwork the dough.
Wrap the dough around the rolling pin to make it easy to carry and transfer to your pie pan.
Fit the dough into your pie pan.
Trim off any excess around the outside of the pan.
Fold in the outside extra pie dough to make the outer crust.
How to Make It Without a Food Processor
If you don’t have a food processor don’t worry. You can cut the fat in with the flour in a bowl or on a clean surface using the bottom side of a fork or better yet a hand pastry dough blender. It will take a little longer and be more labor-intensive but it can absolutely be done. In fact, this is how they used to make pie doughs just 25-30 years ago.
Recipe Chef Notes + Tips
How to Store: This holds very well covered in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
How to Freeze: Keep covered and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw for 1 day in the refrigerator before using it.
Make-Ahead: You can make this pie dough up to 2-3 months ahead of time and place it in the freezer. If you want to use it relatively soon, you can make it and form it to your pie pan without the filling up to 2 days ahead of time. Be sure to keep covered and in the refrigerator.
If you want to make a pie crust to add to the top of your pie simply double the recipe.
It is critical to use very cold water, butter and rendered bacon fat when making this. If you do not, you will have to let the dough chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before using it.
You can absolutely use all rendered bacon fat instead of cutting the total amount in half with the butter.
The dough may need more water when making it so be sure to set aside 1/3 cup of cold water just in case.
There will be a little leftover dough from you trimming around the outside when forming it to the pan. You can use it in a crostata.
Recipes to Use It In
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The Best Homemade Pie Crust Recipe Ever
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cold unsalted butter cut into chunks
- ¼ cup cold rendered bacon fat
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2-3 tablespoons ice-cold water
Instructions
- Add the flour, butter, bacon fat, and sea salt to a food processor and pulse on high until the butter and bacon fat is about the size of rice, which takes about 20-25 pulses.
- Slowly drizzle in the water while pulsing until the dough forms a meal.
- Remove the dough and place it on a clean surface dusted with flour.
- Dust the top of the dough with flour and roll it out using a rolling pin until it’s about 1/8” to ¼” thick.
- Transfer the dough to a pie pan and form it to the pan.
- Leaving about a 1” lip around the outside of the pie pan, remove any excess dough.
- Fold the outside dough in and form it to make the top of the pie crust.
- Use the pie crust or store it for a later date.
Notes
- How to Store: This holds very well covered in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
How to Freeze: Keep covered and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw for 1 day in the refrigerator before using it.
- Make-Ahead: You can make this pie dough up to 2-3 months ahead of time and place it in the freezer. If you want to use it relatively soon, you can make it and form it to your pie pan without the filling up to 2 days ahead of time. Be sure to keep covered and in the refrigerator.
- If you want to make a pie crust to add to the top of your pie simply double the recipe.
- It is critical to use very cold water, butter and rendered bacon fat when making this. If you do not, you will have to let the dough chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before using it.
- You can absolutely use all rendered bacon fat instead of cutting the total amount in half with the butter.
- The dough may need more water when making it so be sure to set aside 1/3 cup of cold water just in case.
- There will be a little leftover dough from you trimming around the outside when forming it to the pan. You can use it in a crostata.
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