Mary’s Favorite Pie Crust for Sweet or Savory Pies
If you love baking pies, chances are you’ve tried a lot of different pie crust recipes. That goes for pot pies (like my holiday Turkey Pot Pies) and hand pies (like my Favorite Argentinian Beef Empanadas) too. Whatever you like to bake, it’s always handy to have an easy and delicious pie crust recipe in your back pocket. I’m talking about a versatile recipe that’s easy to make, easy to store, and that has many, many applications. My pie crust recipe fits the bill.
For a great classic pie crust recipe: keep it simple.
I use a few different doughs when I bake, but my favorite pie recipe includes the classic flour, butter, salt, and ice water—I like to add vegetable shortening and a pinch of sugar too. Why? The mild sweetness that the sugar offers is perfect for sweet recipes like my Star Spangled Blueberry Pie or my Bumbleberry Pie but not too sweet to use on a savory pie or empanada recipe. The combination of vegetable shortening and butter ensures the crust will have some of that rich, buttery flavor—but shortening adds a dimension of flakiness that butter just can’t do alone!
Now you're ready to try some of these simple savory and sweet pie recipes!
If you want to try this recipe out on a delicious dish for a warm summer day, I highly recommend starting out with my Bumbleberry Pie, or my Star Spangled Blueberry Pie. You can also use it in place of a traditional Pâte Brisée recipe. If you’d like to experiment, try it on my Heirloom Tomato and Basil Quiche! Make this simple pie crust recipe just one time—and you’ll be making it forever!
Practice this recipe with my pie cookbook!
Now that you know how to make my favorite pie crust recipe, you can put it to good use with my pies-only cookbook, My Life in Pies: Sweet and Savory Recipes Inspired by Family and Friends. It’s packed full of sweet and savory recipes that are sure to satisfy!
Mary’s Favorite Pie Crust Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (for sweet pies only)
- 12 tablespoons (6 ounces) unsalted butter, very cold, cut into small pieces
- 1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
- 6 to 8 tablespoons (about ½ cup) ice water
Instructions
- Place the flour and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. If you’re making a sweet pie, add the sugar now. Pulse a few times to combine. With the food processor on, add the butter through the feed tube, a few pieces at a time. Once the butter is incorporated, add the shortening, a little at a time. Pulse 8 to 10 times until the mixture forms pea-sized pieces.
- With the food processor running, slowly add ice water through the feed tube, pulsing, until the dough begins to form a ball. Be careful not to get any actual ice into the mixture.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and divide it in half. Form two balls, then slightly flatten each ball with the palm of your hand. This will make rolling out the dough easier once it is chilled. Wrap each ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This dough can be refrigerated overnight. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out as needed for the pie you are preparing.
