The Best and Only Pie Crust Recipe {& Tutorial} You’ll Ever Need
This pie crust recipe is the best and only pie crust recipe you will ever need! The post has a step-by-step tutorial to help you become a pie-crust-making rockstar!
If making the perfect, flaky pie crust is the one thing holding you back from rockstar status in the kitchen, I totally have your back today.
Today I’m sharing with you the most perfect, amazing pie crust I’ve ever made.
I’ve been perfecting this recipe for the last few months in order to share it with you. It is simple (no food processor or special tools required) and I truly believe it is fail-proof.
I’ve made it dozens of times and it never ceases to amaze me. In fact, I am 99.9% sure I’ll never use another pie crust recipe again because this one has truly changed my life. Dramatic? Oh just you wait. Your life is about to be changed, too.
The secret? Throw all you know and love about traditional pie crusts out the window because instead of that classic ice water drizzled in at the end, this recipe uses sour cream.
I know. I know! Pie crusts made with sour cream are not a new thing; they’ve been around forever (but the concept is new-ish to me).
And before you ask, I have no idea what the chemistry is behind the perfection, but it works.
Not only is the dough extremely easy to work with but the crust is buttery and flaky and simply the best in the entire universe.
Below, I have a handy-dandy tutorial for you. I’ve separated the tutorial out into main sections (i.e. Rolling, Crimping, etc.). You can click on the separate links to take you to a specific section.
Already have mixing the dough handled and need a little guide on crimping the edges? Don’t worry, I have a link for that.
Pretty sure you know how to roll it out just right but don’t know how to get it into the pie plate? There’s a link for that. Is trimming the edges a breeze but you’d like a little peek into blind baking? Link, link, link.
I am hoping that by sharing this tutorial and no-fail pie crust recipe now, it will instill in you a feverish desire to become a Great Pie Master (so I’m not alone in my obsession).
I’m a pie-making machine now that I’ve found this recipe. Seriously, I can’t be stopped. In fact, I have an unbaked pie crust all pretty and crimped sitting in a pie plate in the refrigerator just waiting to be used even though I have no specific plans for it yet.
Never any harm in keeping a pie crust ready to be used in an instant, I always say. I make pie crusts now when I’m bored. Just because I can. With this pie crust recipe and tutorial under your belt, you’ll be good to go for the holiday season. And now that I’ve shared it with you, my life is officially complete.
Update: a few extra notes: be careful not to measure the flour with a heavy hand (I use the spoon-and-sweep method, don’t shake the cup to level!) and it’s ok if you have to add more sour cream just do so gradually so you don’t end up with too much as it will make a gummy/dense crust. Also, keep in mind that the real key to ending up with a light, flaky pie crust instead of a tough pie crust is minimal handling of the dough in every step – from mixing to rolling. The more the dough is handled, the more those butter pieces break down which means they won’t create those lovely pockets of steam while baking which creates the flakiness.
Recipe Source: tested and perfected by me (Mel) after seeing the idea for it on The Kitchn
Mixing the Pie Dough | Rolling Out the Pie Crust | Putting the Pie Crust in the Pie Plate | Trimming and Crimping the Edge of the Pie Crust | Baking and Blind Baking |
Mixing the Pie Dough
Mixing the Pie Dough | Rolling Out the Pie Crust | Putting the Pie Crust in the Pie Plate | Trimming and Crimping the Edge of the Pie Crust | Baking and Blind Baking |
Rolling Out the Pie Crust
Mixing the Pie Dough | Rolling Out the Pie Crust | Putting the Pie Crust in the Pie Plate | Trimming and Crimping the Edge of the Pie Crust | Baking and Blind Baking |
Putting the Pie Crust in the Pie Plate
Mixing the Pie Dough | Rolling Out the Pie Crust | Putting the Pie Crust in the Pie Plate | Trimming and Crimping the Edge of the Pie Crust | Baking and Blind Baking |
Trimming and Crimping the Edge of the Pie Crust
Mixing the Pie Dough | Rolling Out the Pie Crust | Putting the Pie Crust in the Pie Plate | Trimming and Crimping the Edge of the Pie Crust | Baking and Blind Baking |
Baking and Blind Baking
Mixing the Pie Dough | Rolling Out the Pie Crust | Putting the Pie Crust in the Pie Plate | Trimming and Crimping the Edge of the Pie Crust | Baking and Blind Baking |
The Perfect Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (213 g) unbleached all-purpose flour (see note)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 10 tablespoons (142) salted butter, frozen
- ½ cup (113 g) sour cream, not lowfat or light, plus an additional tablespoon or three if needed
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, lightly whisk together the flour, salt and sugar.
- Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the butter into the dry ingredients.
- With a fork, toss the butter and flour mixture until the butter pieces are all evenly coated with flour. Don’t break down the butter pieces in this step, just lightly toss until they are coated with flour.
- Spoon the sour cream into the bowl. Using the same fork, mix the sour cream into the butter/flour mixture by pressing the fork down into the sour cream in order to mash the large clumps of sour cream into the flour and butter. A commenter suggested using a pastry blender which will help incorporate the sour cream a bit better. The sour cream won’t mix in like a traditional pie crust with ice water. But take care not to overwork the dough trying to get the sour cream mixed in – if the butter pieces get too small and overprocessed, the crust will be tough.
- After a few turns with the fork, it is easiest to use your hands to pull the dough together. It will look a bit shaggy but as you press it together (quickly and firmly so the the butter pieces don’t melt), it should start to form a cohesive ball.
- If it still seems overly dry, add a teaspoon or so of sour cream at a time until it comes together.
- It’s ok if there are still a few dry spots or cracks in the dough. The mixture should not be overly wet or sticky. At the same time, it shouldn’t be falling apart either. It should hold together when pressed (see the pictures below). Many of you have had to add quite a bit more sour cream. That’s ok as long as the crust isn’t overly saturated (then it will be dense and gummy). Much of that depends on how you measure flour – if you pack the flour into your measuring cup, you’ll obviously need more sour cream (try to measure the flour with a light hand).
- At this point the dough can be rolled out on a lightly floured counter or it can also be pressed into a flat disc and wrapped in plastic to be refrigerated for 1-2 days or frozen for up to a month.
- To roll out, lightly flour your countertop and using firm, even strokes, roll from the center outward, turning the dough a quarter turn every few strokes. The less you mess with the dough the better – even rolling – so try not to overwork it. Roll it out to a thin crust as quickly as possible.
- Roll the dough over the rolling pin and unroll it onto the pie plate. Gently lift up the edges of the pie crust and settle it into the bottom of the pie plate without pressing or smushing.
- Trim the edges to within 1/4-inch. Fold the short overhang underneath the top edge of the pie plate and crimp all the way around.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before using. To blind bake (prebake the pie crust), line the refrigerated crust with foil and fill with dry beans or pie weights. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Gently remove the foil and beans/weights and return to the oven to bake for another 10-12 minutes until nicely golden.
357 Comments on “The Best and Only Pie Crust Recipe {& Tutorial} You’ll Ever Need”
How would I change the baking method / time if I wanted to use the dough for hand held meat Pies? Obviously, I can’t blind bake them….
You should be able to roll out the dough and fill for hand pies and then bake on a parchment lined baking sheet until golden. For the proper time and temp, you might try googling other handheld meat pies.
I am pie crust challenged (they almost always slip into the dish on blind bake), and I don’t love the flavor of pie crust. Usually. This recipe does taste better than others! I found your video and step-by-step pictures very helpful, and added beans to fill the entire crust (instead of just pie weights on the bottom as I’ve previously done). My pumpkin pie crust was better with this method! I still wish I could maintain the pretty edge decoration as it bakes (mine gets melty), but this was a definite improvement, and I will keep working to perfect it. I’ve heard that crusts with a lower fat-to-flour ratio are better for keeping their shape. Have you found this to be true?
Yes, that is definitely true! Although sometimes the lower fat to flour means slightly less flakiness.
This is another amazing recipe! I was nervous using sour cream and no water but let me tell you it was so easy to put together and it rolled out really well. I baked up the scrapes with a little cinnamon and sugar and I could see all of the layers in the crust and it tastes wonderful. Thank you for sharing!
it’s wednesday night and I am trying this recipe for the first time. I already know I have to throw it away but I would like to know what went wrong for next time. The crust looks quite nice but there are pools of butter swimming on top. I handled the dough just as instructed. Not too much handling. It looked just like the pictures.
Also I was a bit confused reading between the chocolate pecan pie recipe (different heat and length for baking) and this pie crust with also a different length and temp.
Oh my gosh what a disaster. Signed up to make 8 pies for a fundraiser this weekend, and after searching the web, this pie crust recipe was surely “the one”. I watched the video several times. What I learned from my errors is that if the crust is not hanging together before it goes in for the chill, then its not going to hold together when rolling out. I tried adding more sour cream at first, but that was not helpful. I made this receipt 6 times, and not one turned out. This recipe did not escape my foolish ways. ! Exhausted and demoralized!
Same here!! I tried twice but am moving on.
Mel, as usual you never disappoint with your recipes! This crust is as you described and my now go-to crust! I made it with your apple crumb pie. OMG! You keep this up and I will be forced to send you a bill for the new clothes I will need to buy as I outgrow my others!! Haha jk no bill coming! I do plan to make the apple pie and a pumpkin pie for thanksgiving. I was wondering if it’s possible for convenience to freeze these for future use? I know you’ve kept them in frig but it would be nice to have one in hand. My husband has me making them a lot lately! Thanks for all of the great recipes!
Thanks, Carol! Yes, this pie crust freezes great!
If I was short on time/motivation and HAD to use a food processor to make this… how would I do it? Use it to grate the butter?
Yes, you could add the butter in pieces to the food processor and pulse with the dry ingredients until the butter is in pea-size or slightly larger pieces and then continue to pulse while adding the ice water until it just comes together.
Thank you!!
This crust turned out beautifully!! With the help of your tutorial, I changed my technique. Finally I have a crust that didn’t shrink! Thank you for identifying my mistake (pushing the crust into the edges instead of lifting it and letting it rest in place).
I know I can’t wait to try this pie crust with the sour cream sounds wonderful. Can I use my food processor to mix the pie crust do as I do with a traditional pie crust? Also, how do you store your beans for pie weights? I put mine in a jar with a lid and they smelled sour.
Yes, you could use a food processor for this recipe. I usually put my cooled beans in a freezer ziploc bag and seal.
My favorite pie since childhood is Banana Meringue, and my husband started a tradition last year of baking one for me for my birthday, but he’s less comfortable making the pie crust. I made and blind-baked this recipe today, and it was a great success! Thank you!
I used only 4 tbsp of butter and it turned out AMAZING. I was meaning to make two pies though and only had enough dough for one (even though I doubled the recipe).
All I had was light sour cream but I went for it anyway… I had to add probably 2 tablespoons extra to get it to come together. Am I going to ruin my chicken pot pie by attempting to bake it?! Wondering if I should pick a different pie or biscuit recipe or just go for it…
Hi Jenny, sorry for the delay in responding. Did you end up baking it with the light sour cream?
I did attempt! It didn’t turn out great, but I’m sure much of that was user-error 😉
I’m sorry, Mel, but I would not recommend this pie crust to anyone! I made it yesterday and it leaked grease on the bottom of my oven and smoke poured out of the oven and into the kitchen when I opened it up. My husband and I used a lot of elbow grease to clean the oven afterward and the pie itself tastes like smoke.
I am 73 years old and have been making pies for years and years. I just thought I would try this…but, so sorry I did. Actually, it’s not even flaky! I have tried a couple of your other recipes, tho, and liked them! I really hate giving a bad review!
Thanks for the this great recipe although I’m curious if anyone else had this issue or if you know what I may have done wrong…I’m made pie crusts for years with no issues and was excited to try this sour cream version. I made three crusts (a separate batch for each one) and they were the most beautiful looking crusts I had ever made UNTIL I put them in the oven. The fluting literally started to melt with some edges of the crust actually falling off. It happened on both pies. I chilled the crusts before baking and I’ve reread the recipe several times. Any ideas? I’m hoping that the pies will still taste good even if they don’t look so great. That’s what ice cream is for, right?
Also, I highly suggest to always wrap your crust in parchment rather than plastic to keep it from gathering condensation and letting it breathe
Hi! My name is Ana Kristina – a self taught professional pastry chef of over two decades.
I’m excited to try this recipe for a pie order I received for this Thanksgiving. I’ve not used sour cream for crusts before but I have had tremendous success with cream cheese so, I’m assuming this will turn out very similar.
The thought that I had was about your many notes on measuring the flour.
The best trick for measuring instead of weighing flour is to always Whisk it before scooping. As flour sits, it will pack. Giving your flour a bit quick Whisk (or stir with a fork) will fluff it back and will automatically lighten to be measured as it should.
I Whisk my flour then dunk it my cup or spoon and then level it with a flat metal spatula.
Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving!
Best pie crust ever! Thanks so much, Mel 🙂
Mel! You’re famous at my house! Every time
I make a meal my kids ask, “Is this Mel?” Of coarse it is! So thank you for filling us with yummy food!
I’m wondering if you have a gluten free pie crust you like?
Hi Aubrie! Thank you for your kind comment! I don’t have a go-to gluten free pie crust, I’m sorry! Nicole at glutenfreeonashoestring.com has a ton of great gluten free recipes and she might be a good resource!
Thank you Mel!
Just saw this comment as I came to make my gluten free pie crust. I actually use this recipe! I either use King Arthur measure for measure gluten free flour or better batter flour. It’s so good! You may have found one by now but if not try it out!
I rarely have sour cream in the fridge & always forget to buy it! Can I substitute natural thick greek yogurt as I usually do in other recipes?
Hi Laura, I’ve only ever used sour cream, but I think the Greek yogurt stands a good chance of working.
Thanks Mel, I’ll give it a go & report back!
Through serendipity rather than skill, I’ve managed to have every pie crust I’ve made turn out really well. This includes recipes with all butter, all lard, various mixed amounts of the two, with and without vinegar, with vodka, Kenji Lopez-Alt’s recipe, and a slew of others (I love to try new recipes). Sadly, this recipe was my first failure. I weighed the flour and followed the directions to a tee, adding just slightly more sour cream as suggested in the directions. I don’t know why it didn’t work for me when others have had success. I used it to make peach bombs and the dough simply melted off the peaches. I usually love your recipes but will pass on this one in the future.
Im 56 years old, and this is the BEST pie crust ever. I used it today for a homemade peach pie filling, and I put this crust in a 10inch cast iron skillet with filling….TO DIE FOR. The only crust recipe I will ever use. I made a double batch for the lattice top, hard to get sour cream incorporated, so Ill make two single batches next time.
Thanks for sharing
Cute little girl 😉
This pie crust come out fantastic. It was so flaky and delicious. A keeper!
Hi Mel, this looks amazing. I think I made pie crust at school once & it was a disaster, so I’ve never ever made it again. But looking at this recipe it may just be what I’m looking for. Thank you for giving the weight of the flour as it will be easy to convert to grams. Just one question, can this be used for sweet pies eg apple or berry, my sister loves apple pies & I want to surprise her by making one from scratch. This is what happens when you’re stuck at home during lock down measures (I’m in Sydney, Australia) & you have allusions (or is that delusions) of grandeur.
With kindest regards
Reet
You are a great sister!! Yes, this can be used for fruit pies!
Thank you so much fir your response, can’t esot to make apple pie. God bless.
Yum! I usually don’t even like pie crust and I love this one! I made it to use with a ham, broccoli and cheddar quiche and it was delicious. Thank you for sharing!
I was feeling like a complete pie crust rockstar through every step, but after I removed the foil/beans and put the crust back in the oven, the crust puffed up and then shrank to an embarrassing little thing. Am I supposed to poke it with a fork to avoid the puffing and shrinking??
It sounds like it maybe needed a bit more time with the foil and beans. Darn it! I’m sorry. Pricking the crust can help with the puffing although I guess I’m lazy because I never do that. Sorry for the issues!
I’m excited to try this for thanksgiving! Can I prep the crusts and refrigerate the discs overnight?
Sorry… to complete my question…my plan is to make the dough now Or Monday night and refrigerate the discs until Wednesday. I want to roll and bake the pies On Wednesday for dinner Thursday. How early is too early for this recipe? Thanks!!
Yes, you can definitely do that! Pie crust can be made and refrigerated several days in advance.
I would like to make a fruit pie for Thanksgiving using this crust recipe and am wondering how it would hold up if I made it the day before. Some pie crusts just aren’t nearly as good the second day.
I think this pie crust is delicious next day (especially warmed up just slightly).
This is my go to recipe but I did change it up a bit. I was trying to mimic the flakiness of shortening without using it so I subatitute half the butter for coconut oil. My husband loves this recipe and insists I use it every time.
My grams pie crust uses orange juice butter and crisco. It’s perfect combination and the acidity in the oj just works. Sour cream? I may have to try!
You’ve done it! You’ve made me confident with a pie crust recipe! I made this pie crust for chicken pot pie tonight to practice for making a couple pies next week and it was AMAZING. I had to add an extra 2 or 3 tbsp of sour cream to get it to come together, but the step by step pictures were so helpful. Thank you thank you!
I’m so proud of you!!
Hi there! Is this recipe for the top of the pie as well? Or just the base? I am confused and didn’t see instructions about it. Thx!
Yes you can use this pie crust for the bottom or top crust (or both)
Just curious: have you ever tried a pie crust recipe with soda (7-Up, tonic water, ginger ale) in it? My very favorite recipe does. If you haven’t, you should. The crust doesn’t turn out as pretty as yours, but it’s very, very flaky, and it’s less likely to break when transferring into the pan than normal crust.
Interesting! I’ve never tried that!
Hi Mel, I wanted to use this crust for your chicken pot pie. Would a single recipe fit over a 9 x 13 pan?
Yes, but it would be pretty thin – I’d probably 1 1/2 the recipe for that so you have extra on the sides.
It is on my life accomplishment Bucket list to perfect pie dough as you have done. I love cooking and baking, but perfect pie dough is Mt. Everest in my mind. I hope to try your delicious recipes and wonderful tips this holiday. I love your passion for sharing this awesome tutorial.
You can do it, Becky!!
Hi! This may be a really stupid question but should you pre-bake this crust or can you simply bake it with the filling?
You can prebake the crust or fill it – totally depends on the recipe, but it works great either way!
Your instructions with pictures are very helpful. I can hardly wait to make this pie crust with your strawberry rhubarb recipe. Thanks.
I want to make this recipe to make strawberry rhubarb pie so you think it will be too runny?
Salted or unsalted butter?
I always use salted butter
This was without exception the most delicious pie crust I have ever eaten. I haven’t had a
lot of experience making pie crusts, but my teenage son and I used it to make apple hand pies for Pi Day (using your blue ribbon apple pie filling) and we felt like total rock stars – they were flaky and crispy and the flavor was amazing. My husband who does not identify as a “crust guy” could not get enough. THANK YOU!
This is great feedback, Tomi! Thank you! I used this recipe to make cherry hand pies a few weeks ago, and I agree…AMAZING! I bet the apple ones were incredible!
With your hand pies, did you refrigerate the dough again after rolling it out? Prior to filling?
Yes, I tried to refrigerate them between all the steps.
Reading your 2017 Pie Boot Camp blog, I believe you said you changed the temperature lower and increased the time so as to be able to lift the beans out only after the crust finished baking. Is this correct? If so, do you have the corrected time and temperature somewhere?
350 degrees for about 40-45 minutes.
This was my first attempt at pie crust. I added almost twice the sour cream, and it still would not come together. It is in the fridge right now, because I don’t have time for the rolling and baking part now, and I am praying it somehow turns out ok. How much sour cream is too much? And how do you know if it is overworked? It just would not stick 🙁
Yes! So glad it was a hit with the fam!!
Hey Kristi – sorry you had trouble with this one. That would be odd if you needed to add twice the amount of sour cream. Hmmm. It didn’t come together when pieces were pressed together?
This pie crust is delicious. Very easy to make, mix and taste perfect. I can’t tell you how grateful I am that Mel provide’s step by step RECIPES that truly work. I always go to Mel’s website for food ideas, my household is never disappointed. I’ve made this pie crust 4 times and never had any issues with the dough or baking it.
I’m so happy to hear this pie crust worked out so well for you, Sandra! Thanks for letting me know!
This recipe is delicious. However, even after I reduced the amount of butter, it’s too much butter and my entire house is smoked out. It’s literally snowing outside on xmas eve and I have the doors open. Why? Butter everywhere inside my oven, burning merrily. NOT WORTH IT.
A winner! I’ve always used the iced water method for my pastry. I used to make pies often, but everybody watches their weight so carefully, I lost my touch with pastry. Last time I made pastry it was ended up flaky but it was a mess to work with. My son asked for a chocolate pie for his birthday and I had almost decided to use a store bought shell. I decided to give this recipe a try before I purchased one. It was great! So easy to roll out, no rips or tears, just a nice smooth crust. It was so flaky and tender. I always trust you, Mel. You’ve never let me down.
I have failed utterly with my mother’s my, sister’s, and 2 grandmother’s no-fail pie crust recipes. Yours came out phenomenally perfect! Thank you thank you thank you! I don’t even care how many calories sour cream adds to each slice. I’m pretty sure you have changed my life for the better ( provided I have enough self restraint not serve up everything I eat in perfect pie crust from now on!)
This is my favorite pie crust recipe – SO simple, flaky, and flavorful. But no matter what I do, it leaks oil all over the bottom of my oven or sheet pan when I bake it. I’ve tried adding the absolute bare minimum amount of sour cream it needs to hold together, chilling the crap out of it, switching up the brand of butter (I’ve tried costco, Tillamook, and land o lakes)… it’s still just sad and leaky.
Am I doing something wrong? I’ve only ever used Tillamook brand sour cream. Could that be it? Or is leaking normal?
I’m a fan of this recipe regardless, just trying to figure out how to make it less of a mess!
Hey Kaelee – I think it’s a product of this crust. I have had the same experience most times I’ve made it. I think it has to be related to the sour cream – but because it’s so flaky and delicious, I keep making it despite that issue. I have some variations in mind that might help – I’ll post about them if they work!
This is out of this world wonderful! I made it with your pot pie. I will be making this again and again! Thank you.
Thanks, Sheri!
Hi! Made this pie crust (double batch) for my thanksgiving pies – pumpkin and apple – will never use another recipe again, it’s perfect!
I made an apple pie with your pie crust:). Can you leave it out over night or does it have to be refrigerated? I am new at this.
Sorry for the late response, Tara – I usually leave non-dairy pies out on the counter for 12-24 hours, but you can refrigerate them and reheat in a warm oven.
Can I use light sour cream vs regular?
I wouldn’t recommend light sour cream for this recipe – it needs the full fat from regular sour cream.
How do I make the top. Do I just double the recipe. Sorry I have never made pie crust before
I cant delete my question. I am sorry. Your apple pie recipe clearly states to double it. Sorry.
I have a question. I’ve used your other pie crust recipe…to great success. But for Thanksgiving, I want to do some decorative crusts. I think your other recipe might not be ideal for those, as the crust puffs quite a bit when baking. Based on your experience, which of the two recipes would be better for the decorative crust, i.e., doing braids, leaves, etc. I would greatly appreciate your insight. Thanks.
That’s a good question, Kirk. This recipe puffs a little, too, and sometimes there’s more of a butter residue that cooks off with this recipe. What other recipe are you speaking of? Have you tried the recipe on this post? Is that the one you are talking about?
https://www.melskitchencafe.com/pie-making-boot-camp-week-2-the-crust/
Yes. This is the one I was referring to. I’m sure you’ve seen all the decorative crusts. Any thoughts on which of the two would be better? I think I’d need to work the dough a little more than normal to be able to manipulate it without it breaking. BTW….we lived in Italy with your Aunt Marilyn. Fun to see her on your blog. Thanks.
Fun connection with Marilyn, Kirk! Thanks for mentioning that. I think I’d use this sour cream recipe simply because it’s the one I use 95% of the time. I love all the pretty decorative crusts and braids and fancy pie decor…I think this recipe would hold up well to that.
Would you have measurements for an 8” double crust pie? I guess I could just double the recipe, but then I’ll have so much left over.
I think you could probably 1 1/2 the recipe and have just the right amount.
I have never made pie crust before. My mom tells me that it is difficult, she always buys pie crust because if she tries to make it it turns out more like cardboard. I was worried I would have the same result. This piece crust turned out perfectly, and the recipe is so easy to follow, the video and pictures are very helpful. This will be my go-to pie crust recipe forever.
I don’t make pie crust. I am a very good cook but pie crust, no. This by far is the most amazing recipe ever. So easy and no fuss, if you follow the directions. I cannot thank you enough!
I made your strawberry rhubarb pie last night using this crust. I substituted the sour cream for Greek honey yogurt. It was DELICIOUS! I have never made a pie before… well maybe tried and failed a few times so making pie crusts give me serious anxiety. I was so excited at the success of my crust, even at it’s rolled out stage I told me husband to come and marvel at it lol. I like to make quiche, so I think I will try and make a quiche with this pie crust but use the sour cream for a more savory flavor.
So happy you had success with this recipe, Nichole! Way to go!
I made this pie crust tonight for a pumpkin pie (using your classic pumpkin recipe). The crust turned out so weird. It was smoking and bubbling after the prebake. There was an oily residue too. After baking with the pumpkin filling, the crust is so brown on the bottom and really tough to cut into. I really don’t think I over-handled it, but does that sound like what happened? or maybe it cooked faster than yours?
Mostly, I’m just curious if the butter has separated out like that for you and what you’d recommend I do differently.
Thanks!!
Hi Leisa, thanks for the comment – can I ask you a few questions? What kind of pie plate did you use? Glass, metal, ceramic, dark-coated? Also, what kind of sour cream did you use? Was it full fat? How long did you parbake it for? And then how long did you bake it with the pumpkin filling? Sounds like the crust was overbaked if it was tough and hard to cut into. I have had the butter leak out a bit when baking with this crust – it doesn’t happen every time, but as I think back, I’m pretty sure it’s when I haven’t chilled the butter or crust long enough before baking.
Thanks for being willing to help me figure it out, Mel!
I used a glass pie plate and refrigerated the dough in the pie plate for 90+ minutes.
I followed the prebake instructions in your classic pumpkin pie recipe—425 (though I set the oven at 410 since my oven is hot) for 15 minutes with tinfoil and beans in it, 10 minutes with the tinfoil removed. I cut that second time down to 5 because it was already brown and smoking.
Probably just too hot for too long? Glass dishes make recipes cook faster, right?
Thanks again!
Leisa
Hi Leisa, yes, my guess is that it just baked too hot. With a glass pan and an oven that bakes really hot, you might try 375 degrees.
Made this earlier this week with the apple cheesecake pie recipe for some friends. It was a hit! (Although I subbed Greek yogurt for the sour cream in both the crust and cheesecake and thought it came out a little bland so I’ll have to use sour cream next time) Anyway, I last tried making this pie crust last Thanksgiving and it was a disaster! I tried adjusting the recipe to fit a 7-inch pie plate and something must have gone wrong with my measurements because during blind baking it shriveled up AND became a melted buttery mess. This time around I followed the recipe exactly (sans sour cream) and tried to work the dough as quickly and as hands-off as possible. I also refrigerated the uncooked dough overnight which helped the butter harden. It was awesome! I didn’t even have to worry about the edges getting too dark, it had a beautiful golden tan lol. So yeah, just wanted to encourage anyone struggling with this it just takes some practice! I still need to practice rolling it into the pie plate lol. I also thought I was mixing in way too much yogurt but I couldn’t get all the flour to mix into the dough. Then when I started rolling it out there were all these pockets of yogurt that hadn’t gotten properly mixed in. Any advice on how to better mix the dough without using my hands too much! I’m so happy to not be afraid of baking pie crust anymore! Thank you Mel!
Hi, do you see anything wrong with using the food processor to just grate the butter? If I triple this recipe it would be so much faster to use the machine
I think that should work as long as the butter is frozen!
This was so delicious and flaky! I have only made pie once before (I have a sweet mother in law who keeps us supplied with wonderful pies), but it worked for me the first time! After reading the comments, I just made sure to keep the crust cold, refrigerating it between steps so it didn’t have time to melt the butter. Thanks, Mel! I’m a devoted reader of your blog, and user of your recipes!!
can i use yogurt to replace sour cream?
You could definitely experiment (I’ve only ever used sour cream).
I am wondering what it was you put the dough on to roll it out? Saw your video with you turning what the crust was on. Never have seen that before. Would you please tell me what it is called and where you got it? I am rolling out my dough for my first attempt at a sour cream pie crust. You did an excellent job of explaining and demonstrating. Thank you so much for your time and expertise.
Hi Debby – it’s a pastry cloth and board. Mine is the Bethany brand and I bought it at a small store in Northern Minnesota, but it’s available on Amazon.
Thank you for this recipe and that tip to freeze the butter. I’m not usually a fan of pie crust and find myself scraping the filling out to eat, but this one had me wanting more! I am no longer scared of the pie crust!
Mel, this pie crust made my chocolate cream pie even more delicious this year!!!! This crust is excellent cold! Thank you so much for sharing your prized recipes! I think I made 3 or 4 of your recipes for thanksgiving alone and all were:
Thank you so much, Erin!
This was a MASSIVE fail…on Thanksgiving no less.
It looked picture perfect going into the oven. Sadly this disintegrated into a hot buttery mess within minutes. 🙁
I’m sorry you didn’t have good luck with this recipe…I know how frustrating that can be, especially on a holiday.
The likeliest cause of this is the butter not staying cold throughout the prep. Anything to which it’s exposed can cause this: warm air in the kitchen, grating, mixing, rolling, shaping. If the butter is warm when the crust goes in the oven, it’ll melt before any structure is set, and then it’ll leak out. If the crust isn’t cold, put it in the fridge – not in the oven. Let it chill some more.
I have a small kitchen that heats up quickly, so I often chill the bowl, the pastry blender and the flour beforehand, and I chill the dough before rolling (my go-to recipe is similar to this, but calls for buttermilk instead of sour cream). Hope that’s helpful.
Good Morning Mel, I am so thankful to have found these directions this morning – after so many years ago of posting it! I really appreciate the video. Thank you so much for your heart to be in the kitchen AND share with all of us. I love my kitchen but not making pies…and I’m a grandma!! You put me to shame! 🙂 I appreciate learning – at any age! Thanks!!
Thank you so much, Cordelia!!
Really really great pie crust. I have made it four times now, and it was worked great every single time. This pie crust is so easy to handle! It also tastes delicious and comes out flaky and buttery every time. I use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, because I usually have it on hand. The brand I use is slightly thicker than sour cream, so I thin it with a little bit of milk before adding it in and it works great. I have also used vanilla yogurt for fruit pies and that tastes really yummy!
Definitely spoon and level the flour into the measuring cup, or you will have too much flour. Also, I made this pie crust tonight for chicken pot pie, omitting the sugar, and it works wonderfully well for savory purposes, as well as sweet. Thanks, Mel!
Thanks for the review, Betsy!
This really is the best pie crust recipe ever. Thank you!
Thanks, Joan!
Thought this crust sounded interesting with the sour cream instead of Crisco so tried it. Most likely I wasn’t light enough on the flour because when I added the sour cream it didn’t come together as I expected and I added more sour cream and ended up overworking the dough. The pie looked amazing coming out of the oven but crust tasted chewy. I’m going to stick with my normal butter/Crisco recipe which I’ve always had great results with. My husband thinks my regular recipe is more flaky, which is how he likes it. I also thought grating the butter was too time consuming. There have been so many great results from other people with this recipe, I’m sure it was something I did that made it turn out so bad.
I just made this pie crust and by mistake only grated in 6 tablespoons of butter and then when I was trying to get it to come together couldn’t figure out why it was so dry and crumbly. I added extra sour cream to compensate for the dryness before I realized that I didn’t add all the butter required. It did form a disk and is chilling in the refrigerator now. Do you think it is worth a try to roll out and use, or did the extra sour cream and lack of butter probably ruin it?
Well, I think it’s worth a try to roll it out and see, but chances are it won’t be quite as flaky with a lesser amount of butter (but who knows, you might be surprised!)
Hey Mel, I am going to make this pie crust tomorrow as I’ll have to go out to get some sour cream. Regarding the blind baking, years ago I ‘attempted’ some pie crust recipe (I don’t know or remember where it came from) but I clearly remember when I took the foil off after baking that it stuck to the pie crust and ruined it. Do you think that is because I didn’t bake it long enough or perhaps I had too much flour in it? I plan on making probably about six pie crusts so I really don’t want to run into this problem again. Oh, by the way, I saw your YT video and it was great! Thanks Mel
Thanks, Nancy! About the foil sticking, that can happen if the pie crust hasn’t baked long enough (so it is slightly doughy). I’m doing a post next Friday all about blind baking. One thing I’ve started doing is blind baking with aluminum foil (and I fill with dry beans) for an hour or an hour and 15 minutes at 350 degrees rather than baking at a higher temperature and removing the foil halfway. I keep the foil and beans in the whole time. Works great! Good luck.
Mel… In my country we dont have sour cream. Can I use greek yogurt instead?… What do you suggest?
I think that would be an ok sub, Gabby – just make sure it isn’t low fat.
Mel, my dough looked moldy/blue cheese like. Any idea why? I used fresh sour cream and kerry gold unsalted butter!
Oh my goodness, I have no idea why. That is strange!
It seriously was the weirdest thing!!! I’ll try again when I’m not so gigantically pregnant and tired 🙂
Hello Mel, I made this pie crust along with your apple pie recipe which I found on Pinterest. I made a double batch of crust. I am 67 years old and have made a lot of pies in my day. This is THE most beautiful crust dough I have ever worked with. It was perfect. Also the pie filling. My first time to cook my filling. I used Gala apples and only added a little vanilla. I entered my pie in our church apple pie contest and won first place! I’m so excited and thank you for your great tips and your writing ability to convey just what to do and expect. You’re awesome! Thanks, Karla
Karla! That was such a fun comment to read! I’m so happy you loved this crust recipe as much as I do…and congrats on that 1st place win!
Karla, that is AMAZING….way to go and congrats!!!
Wanted to add my congratulations to you on your win also! Kudos, Karla!!
Nice demo and love your little assistant! Thank you!
Have you ever tried using cream cheese in place of sour cream?
I made this crust for a pie for Christmas Eve and it was so awful. I’ve never been good at making pie crusts, but this was the all time worst! I didn’t add enough sour cream and it was so crumbly. Also, I tried doing a blind bake and my crust fell and was soggy. The taste was great, but it was really chewy. I decided that I was going to practice until I could get it right. I made a chicken pot pie tonight and gave it another go. It turned out amazing–the best pie crust I’ve ever made! Seriously, my husband was taking pictures after I took it out of the oven because it turned out so pretty. I think I just needed to practice a little. I still want to try another blind bake, but I think I’ve got things figured out now.
So happy to hear this! Way to go!
You had commented that too much liquid would cause the pie to shrink and this keeps happening to me. The crust is soft…should it be more sticky? I am bound and determined to make this recipe a success! How do I change the liquid amount? Decrease sour cream? Thanks!
When you are making this and after adding the sour cream and mixing, what is the texture of the dough? Like sugar cookie dough or more crumbly? It should be on the crumbly side but if pinched together, it should hold together.
Just made this for Thanksgiving 2016 and it was awesome! The pie isn’t too sweet, but just right. Thank you for posting! I used this sour cream crust and it was so easy! It’s not sweet, and has a great flakiness to it. Could you post the apple portion of the recipe with the sour cream recipe together?
Hi Nicole – glad you liked this. I’m not sure what you are asking, though – what would you like posted together?
Dear Mel,
I want to copy the photos of the way the pie crust should look.. Can you send me the
photos to my e-mail address? I would ilke the complete instructions if possible as my
pie crust never comes out.
Hi Mel. You have answered so many questions I do hope you have time for just one more! I have tried many different pie crust recipes and always seem to have the same problem with my crusts… they lose their lovely crimped shape after baking. The crust puffs up a lot and are wonderfully flakey but the crimps lose all their definition. I have tried chilling (which does help with slippage) but it doesn’t seem to help otherwise. My sister suggested trying different pie plate (I always use glass). I will try your recipe to see if I get a different result but was wondering if you have any suggestions in advance? Thanks for all the tips. Your site is wonderful!
Hi Maxine – is your pie dough overly soft? I know when I’ve made pie dough where I’ve added too much liquid or different recipes where the pie dough is soft, the same thing happens. I almost always use a glass pie plate, too, so I don’t know that it would make a difference. Just make sure the pie dough is evenly just slightly crumbly as it comes together so that there isn’t too much liquid in the dough. Hope that helps a little. 🙂
Hmm… I don’t know if it is overly soft… Maybe? I will have to keep on eye on that next crust I make. Good tip. Someone also suggested that I chill the pie crust after rolling for 2 hrs, so I will try that. Also, I usually bake my in a hot oven (425° C for first 15 mins in bottom of oven to crisp the bottom crust) then turn down to 350. Another suggestion was to just bake longer at 350°. So I will try that. I am not giving up! Thank-you!
I’ve heard that shortening pie crusts hold their shape best. The water in butter makes it lose a bit of the definition in shape.
Goodness there are things to watch for with this recipe – but what amazing tips you have provided. I am wondering if anyone has ever tried mixing in the sour cream BEFORE adding the grated butter? I use the sour cream / frozen butter for my mile high biscuits and I add the butter as late to the process as possible so that it stays really cold and doesn’t end up melting into my dough. Any thoughts?
I haven’t tried that Karyl but if it works in biscuits, maybe it’s worth a try here??
Perfect first try!! Backed tonight and came out perfect AGAIN!!! Flaky and perfect!! Freezing before baking is a must!!
If you are going to bake, I cannot stress enough the importance of owning a kitchen scale. If you weigh your flour, you eliminate most of these problems. (Density, measurement disparities, etc.) A cup of ap flour weighs about 120 – 125 grams. I have never had an issue with a pie crust or biscuit recipe when I weighed the flour. Happy baking!
can I double or even triple this recipe?
The most I’ve done is doubled but I think it could probably be tripled if you keep your eye on the moisture from the sour cream.
Made a gluten-free version with an all purpose flour and it is amazing. I think I used just a little extra sour cream just because g.f. flour isn’t as sticky. Yum,yum, yum.
I was wondering if this pie crust could be used for sweet AND savory meals? pie quiche or chicken pot pie?
Yes! In fact I just made homemade chicken pot pies with it last week and it was seriously divine. The crust was all of our favorite part!
How far in advance can you make this pie crust? Is it best to make it and store the baked crust or do you keep it in a ball in the fridge? Or roll it out and then store in refrigerator? How long will it last?
Hi Brianna – you can make it several days in advance and keep it wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator (either lined in the plate or still patted into a disc). You can also make it months ahead of time and keep it stored in the freezer.
I made this today – so delicious! I also bought your pastry cloth and rolling out was SO easy!! Thanks so much for the recipe & tips Mel!!! This is now my “go-to” pie crust!!
I ‘m a new fan & I’m also gluten free. I know ugh! But I still want to try your great sounding pie crust! Any suggestions? My body feels so much better off gluten that I will stay gluten free from now on. I’m in for trying something new & great tasting. I never did have a great pie crust recipe even before I became gluten free. Now I want to become a great cook after being married over 49yrs…….lol
Hi PJ – I think your best bet might be to go to a trusted gluten-free food blog or source and see if they have a gluten-free pie crust. I’ve never tried this pie crust gluten free and wouldn’t know where to start with substitutions. Good luck!
I used this recipe yesterday to make mini Apple pies and it came out amazing! It wasn’t what I expected at all… The recipe I usually use comes more dry, crunchy, and flaky, but this was a whole different experience… More like puff pastry. It was flaky and crispy, but soft… It was buttery goodness with just the right amount of sugar (not too sweet and not too bland). I skipped the salt because the butter here is already salted, and I only needed the one cup of sour cream. After mixing the dough I rolled it out right away, spooned in the filling, and closed my pies. I put them in the fridge for only 5 min as I was running late. But they still came out perfect. I had some left over dough and I kept in the fridge to make more pies for today (my husband who doesn’t usually like sweets requested them for lunch lol). Delicious! It reminded me of home.. When I would buy apple turnovers from the Dekalb Farmers Market bakery.
Irobably should clarify that I used 1 cup of sour cream because I doubled the recipe lol. Anyway making this again today 🙂
This was GREAT!!! The tutorial was especially helpful, and I loved the idea of grating the frozen butter. This was my first time making a pie crust with sour cream, and I liked the result. Thank you for making pie crust seem much easier! I filled my crust with pumpkin, but for pre-baking it alone, I really like the idea of putting dried beans in it… Something I never would have thought of!
Will definitely try this recipe! On a TOTALLY unrelated note, how do you prepare/clean your countertop to be used for a work surface? (for rolling out dough) Have always shied away from doing this because I’m unsure exactly how to sanitize and “de-soap” the counter! I make pizza often and would love to use this method instead of a big cutting board. Thanks and love your recipes/blog : )
Hi Barb – I usually use my pastry cloth to roll out pie crust but for other things like bread or sometimes sugar cookies, I just scrub it really well with hot soapy water and then a clean rag a few times and call it good. 🙂
I’ve used your pie crust recipe for over a years now and absolutely LOVE it! I’ve never been able to make a good pie crust until I found this recipe. All my pies turn out tasting yummy now. Thanks for this delicious and simple recipe.
This crust is AMAZING!! So good. We made chicken pot pie with it and it was so flaky, yummy. I just wanted to pull all of the crust off and eat it…
Mel, when I am attending a family or friend event, they always tell me ” bring anything but pie”! Now, I am tarnished by the remarks but n quitter! I want you to know I followed your directions to the t and my family loved it. The texture was perfect, the flavor is addictive and I will never use another recipe except this. Thank you for sharing. Pie will be my new dish at pot lucks!
This makes me so happy, Bev!
Mel, maybe user error. I did chill the dough, very thoroughly. Thought I also chilled the pie crust sufficiently after putting it in the pan. It still sort of melted and creeped down the side of the pie pan (only on one side), I’d like to try it again because of the good taste. Any tips?
Hi Faye – many times the reason a pie crust while shrink down while baking is because it is stretched into shape in the pie plate instead of lifted and gently pressed. If the dough is at all stretched – it will shrink down while baking so I try to lift it so it has some excess and give as I lay it into the bottom edges of the pie plate.
Used this crust recipe for your blueberry custard pie with great results! The pie recipe required the crust (in pan) to be placed in freezer 30min prior to baking…this could be why I had no issues with crust falling apart/”melting” while pie was baking.
Is it salted or unsalted butter?
I use salted.
Holy mackerel! This was my first attempt at making pie crust and it came out perfect!
Mel, thank you for making my life much easier. I have struggled with pie crusts in the past and have always LONGED to be more successful at it. Your instructions are clear and easy to follow. This recipe is a winner! I followed your directions and the dough came together beautifully, Rolling it out was actually enjoyable (Did I just write that?)! I refrigerated it in the pie pans and plan to bake them tomorrow. One huckleberry and one strawberry-rhubarb. I can’t wait to taste them! Thanks again! You are my go-to site for all my recipe needs.
I’m so jealous of that huckleberry pie, Katelyn!
Do you grate the butter and then measure 10 tbsp? Or measure somehow… Then grate?
I use a full stick of butter (8 tablespoons) and then cut 2 more tablespoons to use – then grate it all.
Ughhh! I was so excited for this and I made it through the rolling and then it seemed I rolled to thin and it stuck together on the pin. I managed to get it in the pie pan, but it may have been too deep. I had holes and it was a bit uneven. I am left with a pie crust that looks like a 5th grader did it. I want to to be pretty like yours! All of your pictures are perfect! Thanks for the recipe. Maybe next time.
Mel, I love this recipe so much, I’ve passed it out to several people in the last few days! I made mini apple galettes with this for Thanksgiving (don’t know why, but it sounded good in my head!). They were a huge hit and the dough was fabulous to work with!!! I did it just like you described above, added just 1/2 cup of sour cream, and put it in the fridge after mixing it. After 30 or so minutes, the texture is perfect, and rolls out as easily as play-doh! It’s flaky, delicious!
I wonder if some people are having difficulty aren’t chilling it enough before baking. When I made a sample of the galette, I hadn’t refrigerated it directly before baking, and the crust kind of melted and lost its shape. For subsequent ones I chilled the assembled pies for 30 minutes before baking, and they set up perfectly!
Thanks for weighing in on this, Michelle! It helps to hear from someone else who has had good success with the recipe. I agree that chilling the dough is crucial. Thanks for your comment! (The apple galettes sound fabulous!)
The same thing happened to me when I made this (as others have described with the excess butter and crust falling off of the edges into the oven). I really, really wanted this to work. I’ve tried it twice, and it happened both times. I felt like even though the butter was frozen, it got all melty by the time I was done grating it all, so I tried to put it back in fridge to harden again. The texture was also almost tough and chewy. Still love you though, Mel, and all of your other recipes I’ve tried.
Hey Ann- thanks for checking in on this recipe. I’m sorry you had the same issues! It’s super baffling to me why this is happening when so many of us have had it work out so well. I know that doesn’t help (no one likes to hear that a recipe works out for others when it wasn’t that great for them). I’ll definitely keep my eye on it as I continue to make it. I want it truly to be perfect and no fail for everyone! I think one of the issues may be if people are adding liquid to make a soft dough – the dough is fairly crumbly when I pat it into a disc shape to refrigerate; it presses together when I grab a clump of it but it is by no means a soft dough like a sugar cookie dough or something like that. Anyway, sorry again!
Just baked a pie using this crust recipe… The pie crust oozed and leaked butter all over my oven, caused major smoke, set off the smoke alarms. Could not believe how much butter leaked out! The house smells, had to open windows in 30* weather, had just cleaned my oven, people are coming over. Wow :(( … Disaster! Followed the directions exactly… Hope it taste good :/ ! Will not make this again will stick with the frugal gourmets recipe tastes great, is easy, and does not do this!
Hi Laurie – sorry this didn’t work out for you. Just like the two commenters above, I’m not sure what would have gone wrong since I’ve never had that happen in the many times I’ve made it. My guess is that the butter was in still too large of pieces. Either way, it sounds like you have a pie crust recipe you love to stick with.
Haley, that is exactly what happened to mine. It was awful. Probably the worst pie crust I have ever made.
Hi Erin – I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you. I’ve never had the issue you and Haley described (despite having made this crust dozens and dozens of times). Any chance your butter pieces weren’t processed small enough or too much liquid/sour cream was added to the dough?
I maybe added an extra tablespoon of sour cream because it wasn’t sticking together. And the butter seemed to grate into nice small pieces because it was frozen. But as the pie was baking the butter was just leaking out all over the bottom of the oven. I did double it so maybe that threw things off.
Hi- I want to make this crust for a Thanksgiving gathering over the weekend. May I use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream? I am in Italy and I don’t know of a sour cream substitute that would have the tartness of sour cream other than yogurt. Thanks!
Hi Leigh – I haven’t tried it with Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream so I can’t say for sure but usually Greek yogurt subs well for sour cream (I’d say not to use fat-free or low fat though).
For some reason when I baked my pie crust it was just swimming in butter. It was a soggy, icky mess. Major bummer! I wish mine looked like yours.
Hi Haley – the only reason(s) I can think that would happen is if your butter pieces weren’t small enough or if there was too much liquid in the dough. Do you think either of those could have happened? I’m sorry it didn’t turn out.
Totally user error on my part, but I didn’t read he part about refrigerating the pie crust until after the pie was filled and in the oven. My pretty little edges immediately went all gloopy on me 🙁 It’s definitely not going to be a pretty pie, but I’m hoping it still tastes the same. It’s just past midnight on Thanksgiving morning, I am NOT staying up to make another! If they want pie, they will eat ugly pie.
So if you are using the pie weights and foil, do you not have to prick the bottom of your pie when making a single crust?
I don’t prick it when blind baking but that’s just me – I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt.
Didn’t care for this recipe, although it may have been user error but didn’t seem to have the right texture. Back to the classic crisco recipe for me
I grew up with my mom baking cakes & cookies all the time, but not pies, over 19 years. We moved to another city and a new friend introduced her to a new pie recipe with vinegar and egg, called a “No Fail Pie Crust Recipe.”. She started making pies like crazy. So now our traditional Christmas pies are buttermilk pies and pumpkin or apple pie.
If I use this for a pumpkin pie do you know how long I need to bake it prior to filling the crust? Thanks!
Kadar – Blind bake it according to the tutorial instructions and then put your pumpkin pie filling in to finish baking.
Mel, does this make enough for a deep dish pie? Or would I need to add to it? I only make deep dish pies, that way I know that slice is awesome and no skimping around! Love those pies!
I need to know too Mel! I’m making a deep dish!
I just rolled out several of these pie crusts today and one recipe was large enough to fit my big 10-inch tart pan so I don’t think you’d need to add any to fit a deep pie plate (especially if you roll it out thin).
I didn’t read the recipe carefully enough and bought bleached flour. Will this make a drastic difference?
No, that should work fine, Carli. I just always use unbleached flour so that’s what I indicated in the recipe.
I made pie crust (not this recipe) last night and have it chilling in the fridge.. when I go to roll it out tonight, do I have to let it sit at room temp or can I struggle through rolling it fresh from the fridge?
It kind of depends on how long the pie crust has been refrigerated. Longer than an hour or so and it might help to let it sit at room temp for 10 or so minutes.
How much is 10 Tablespoon of butter ? Sorry..I live in Germany and I do not have American package butter
From my calculations, it should be 5 oz of butter (32 Tablespoons of butter in a pound gives .3125 lbs of butter, times 16 oz per pound gives 5 oz of butter).
Thanks 🙂
I’m planning to try this fascinating recipe for Thanksgiving. I have two questions. 1) How long will an unbaked pie crust keep in the refrigerator? And 2) Once baked, do I need to fill the pie crust that day, or would it keep until the following day?
I’ve kept an unbaked pie crust (already in the pie plate) covered in the refrigerator for up to three days. If it’s been baked, it’s probably fine well-covered for another day (a humid climate might make the crust soften a little, though).
I was taught the spoon-and-sweep method a million years ago in Home Ec. We also learned to tap the side of the measuring cup after sweeping. If properly measured, you should see the flour settle down probably an 1/8th of an inch or so. This lets you know that you’re good to go. If the flour doesn’t settle, then you’ve packed it too heavily; and you need to dump it out and remeasure. To this day, after whisking my flour to lighten it so it’s not packed down, I spoon, sweep and tap. And to clarify, you absolutely do NOT add more flour to the measuring cup after tapping! The tapping is just to make sure you’ve measured properly. Of course, weighing your flour is the professional way to go, but I rarely do that ’cause I’m lazy. My baking results have been pretty darned good through the years–so, my motto is “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
I first made this crust as a double batch and it failed miserably. I then made it again using the measurements for just one pie crust and yet again it failed miserably so I am going to try yet again and use Mel’s sweep method to measure the flour. Fingers crossed.
Hi Mel,
I’m with Bryan on preferring to use mass rather than volume. Would you be able to provide a weight for the butter?
Thank you!
1 stick of butter (8 tablespoons) is 4 ounces so 10 tablespoons would be 5 ounces, right?
Hi Mel,
I love your blog and of course your recipes. Your writing style is so honest and friendly, like we’re in the kitchen with you. I just read all the comments about this pie crust and I just have to say that you are a total sweetheart! You are so gracious even when the comments aren’t the nicest. And your smile is beautiful!! Thanks for all your hard work.
Thanks, Marge – that was sweet!
Mel I can’t wait to try this pie crust because I’m pretty bad at it. I have one problem though, where I come from we can’t get sour cream. Would it be possible to try putting vinegar in heavy cream to substitute?
Hi Maria – I think that could work, just keep an eye on the consistency of the pie dough because the heavy cream + vinegar mixture will be quite a bit runnier than the sour cream. You may not need quite as much.
Hi Mel! I just have to say that I’ve tried this crust multiple times and it is AMAZING. I’ve never ventured too much into pie – but this crust is so easy and so delicious. I’ve got a batch chilling in the fridge as I type this! So, thank you!
Help my crusts fell in.I made a double batch and that was hard to get all the flour mixed in. But I added more sour cream that worked out great but, FORGOT to chill the first one so I chilled the second one and put beans in both of them but they both fell in HELP what do I need to do different. I made a extra one to give to some family but what now ?
yalon – I’m sorry this pie crust recipe didn’t work out for you. Sometimes a baked pie crust will shrink if the dough has been overworked. Try handling it as little as possible. Good luck if you try it again!
Hi Mel! I hope you are getting adjusted after your move! I have made this crust two times. The first time it was amazing and perfect for my chicken pot pie. The second time I made it, it was kind of tough…think I added too much sour cream. Today I am making it again for my chicken pot pie. I doubled the recipe, and I had so much trouble grating the butter…It was getting all melty and hard to hold on to because it was double the amount. After I was done, I put the bowl with grated butter and dry ingredients back in the freezer to harden it up again. Do you think it would work to grate all of the frozen butter in the food processor with the grater attachment? I am awful at making pie crust and I am determined to have success again with this recipe. Thanks!!
Hey Ann! That’s actually a good idea about grating the frozen butter with the food processor. I’d say definitely try it (maybe even keep each stick of butter frozen until grating it so that it doesn’t soften even the slightest). I hope this go-round works out for you!
Not only is this the best pie crust I’ve ever made but the best I’ve ever eaten! Amazing!! I used it to make quiche last night and it was a hit.
I used this pie crust recipe and added 1 tablespoon extra sour cream…it’s dry here in Utah. I used some canned apricot filling I had made and baked it 375F for 55 min in a 9 inch glass Pyrex dish…perfection. I must add this is my first crust ever…so yummy! I am a convert to homemade pie crust made with sour cream. Thanks so much!
I am very grateful for this recipe, and plan to try it with my next pie. Can you tell me if altitude could affect the process? It certainly has had an impact on my candy making exercises. I am at 3000 feet. Thanks!
Susan – You might try googling high altitude baking for pie crusts but to my knowledge, pie crusts shouldn’t be affected like candy or cakes. Good luck!
I just wanted to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for this recipe. I did a fundraiser selling pies this past weekend and I AM SO SORE AND CAN BARELY MOVE but this pie dough was the best ever to work with. I made 62 Pie crusts and each one was easy to put together and baked beautifully. I had so many people tell me it was the best pies they have ever had…so between this crust and my filling I know I will be busy selling pies for a long time!
Thanks again!!!
Amanda – I cannot believe you really made 62 pies. That is…seriously…I don’t know. I have no words. Well, I do: I’m so impressed and officially think you are superwoman! Thank you so much for reporting back. I am so, so happy this pie crust worked out so well. Amazing!
Mel,
I made three crawfish double crust pies with your pie recipe and want to share some information that might help others having problems. But first, my second shot at this resulted in a flakier and lighter crust than the first one I made which was a double crust chicken pot pie. Being a chemist, I would rather deal with mass rather than volume so I fluffed the flour and took three consecutive measurements of 1 1/2 cups of flour. The average for 1 1/2 cups of flour was 195g. I repeated the same process for the sour cream and the average was 124g. I made a double batch and it was the perfect ratios of flour to sour cream but it took a little longer to work than I thought it should; however the final product was light and flaky. The second and third pies, I made six single batches and found it much easier to work with. Again, it was the perfect ratios of flour to sour cream. I was able to work it in quicker but did not see where a little more work on the double batch was any flakier or lighter. Both ways produced excellent texture. I like making the bottom crust first and while it is chilling them I make the top layer. I find this is easier to work the sour cream in while killing time waiting for the bottom to chill. Either way one choose to make their crust, I hope the mass measurement help some of your visitors make a difference. I think everyone should experience what this crust offers. Remember visitors, trust in what Mel is telling you and throw out any experience your might have using water…….
Bryan – you are awesome! Thank you so much for your detailed comment and review of this recipe. You have no idea how much that helps others (and me!). I’m thrilled you like this pie crust so much and am excited to take your “test” work into the kitchen with me next time I make it. Thank you!!
I tried your pie crust recipe and it was a great success. I prepared it with another pie using a butter rich recipe and presented both as a taste test. Five out of five chose your recipe. If you count myself then that will be six. I am by now means a pie master and that was why I was successful. Not being proficient at making pie crust I had to trust what you wrote as I had no experience to draw from. Do you have an apple pie recipe?
Bryan- What a nice compliment. Thank you. It sounds like you are well on your way to becoming a pie master! Here are some links to my apple pie recipes: Apple Crumb Pie, Toffee Crumble Caramel Apple Pie, Candy Apple Pie, and Blue Ribbon Apple Pie.
I know you’ve had about a million and a half questions about this pie crust but I have just one more… do you ever have a problem with the crust coming off the top edge and falling down the sides while baking? This has happened to me twice with this recipe… once with a pot pie and once with quiche. Both times the crust still tasted great… just looked goofy. Am I leaving too much crust on the perimeter so the weight makes it fall down? Let me know what you think!
p.s. any luck with those Beacon Hill cookies?? (:
Hi Katelyn! Haven’t figured out the beacon hill cookies but definitely on my list of things I will get to before I die! Thanks for the reminder. 🙂 So about your pie crust, usually a crust will slip and sink into the pie plate like that if a) it’s been stretched to fit the pie plate instead of being gently lifted into the creases (make sense)?, b) if it hasn’t chilled for enough time or c) because the pie gods don’t shine down that day. Ok, kidding on the last one (kind of) but generally that type of thing happens because the pie crust is shrinking up again – if it was stretched and pulled too much or isn’t cold enough.
This is an excellent tutorial. Probably the best I have seen. I am an experienced cook and love the website.
Farm Stand…not farm study.!
This comment is a day late and a dollar short, so not sure if I will get any feed back but here it goes: Do you think you could grate the frozen butter ahead of time and keep it in the freezer in individual bags?
I make 6 pies/week for our farm study come this May and I would like to offer some butter crust ones…plus I prefer butter personally for myself. I try get as many steps done ahead of time as possible. Thanks..from a mom and grammy in Western NY!
Rhonda – That could work just fine, if it were me, I’d toss the butter with a tablespoon of flour to help it keep from sticking in the freezer. Good luck!
I made this pie crust and absolutely loved it. Last week I made mini chocolate and blueberry pies with my Mia Maid class and they all learned how to make this crust. It was so much fun. The girls were able to each take home a mini pie and then we took some around to some of our neighbors. It was a hit and the girls made beautiful, tasty crusts. This crust is now my favorite.
Im excited to try this. I have some chicken pot pie filling in my freezer that I plan on making this week. My mouth is watering!
To help with pre-baking, after it’s in the pan let it rest at least an hour in the fridge (overnight is best) with plastic wrap loosely covering it. Then move it to the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes. Then either use foil, parchment or industrial-sized coffee filters and dried beans or rice. (Don’t use the dried beans for anything else besides pies again, but rice can actually still be cooked.) Preheat oven to 425° and place on lowest rack. Cook for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° and cook for 10 minutes. Remove foil/beans then cook another 10 minutes. During this last bit check for bubbles after 3 or 4 minutes and poke with fork lightly. (Don’t poke all the way through.)
Haven’t tried this recipe yet. Too be honest, I like my Crisco pie crusts and as long as people don’t know it’s Crisco, it gets rave reviews.
I love your site Mel and use your recipes all the time. But I have to say that I did not like this pie crust at all. I made it with your apple crumb pie recipe and the pie crust was crunchy and tough on the bottom and it didn’t have a good flavor. The thing I missed most is that this crust wasn’t flaky at all. The apple pie filling and the crumb topping was delicious though! I also thought the dough was a nightmare to work with and I am an an award winning baker and accomplished pie maker. This recipe just didn’t work for me and I will go back to my old pie recipe. Thank for posting wonderful recipes, Mel! Eventhough this recipe is not a keeper for me, I still enjoying trying new recipes!
Most of Mel’s recipes that I’ve tried have been awesome, but MAN, this pie crust was an epic fail.
“The mixture should not be overly wet or sticky. At the same time, it shouldn’t be falling apart either.”
Somehow, my pie crust was overly wet and sticky AND falling apart. It was horrible. I probably added in twice as much sour cream as it called for to combat the dryness, but it was too much and not enough at the same time. I tried to thoroughly mix it without over-handling the dough, but that’s nearly impossible as sour cream naturally just globs together. When I rolled it out, it was a sticky, crumbly mess. On the upside, my mom and sister (who were helping make pies) laughed so hard and for so long this will be a Thanksgiving memory for years to come (I joined in, too). Both my dad and my husband came over and commented it didn’t look normal (duh). It took 6 hands and some grotesque patching to get the crust into the plate. I added more sour cream to the other half of the dough for the top crust, and it stuck together better, but still had soggy parts. The final product wasn’t bad–it wasn’t the best or the worst crust I’ve made–but it took more work and stress than any other recipe I’ve tried. The next day, my grandma came over and coached me and my sister through making her recipe (good old Crisco), and it was the BEST crust I’ve ever had. I’m not a Crisco fan, but I guess you can’t beat tried and true.
I post this not to criticize Mel (because looks like this recipe works great for her and many others), but to give some comfort and a laugh to anyone else out there who failed the fool-proof recipe :).
Lindsay – ack! I’m sorry your experience was less than wonderful. I admire you for laughing (instead of wanting to kill me). What DOES kill me is that this recipe is causing people so many issues. I literally have made it countless times and every time I’m in awe of it’s perfection. I don’t blame you for never wanting to try it again, but I do wonder if using a pastry blender to mix in the sour cream would help (another commenter suggested that and I’ve used it too lately to help with those globs of sour cream). Thanks for the comment – I’m still hopeful that it will continue to revolutionize pie-making lives (I know it did mine!) and thanks for having a good attitude despite the experience. Kudos to you!
The pie dough was backbreaking work. When I ate it, it worst gross. The store bought dough was better.
This is the first Thanksgiving that I didn’t have to use my back up Pilsbury crust in the fridge. Thanks for a no fail recipe for those who struggle rolling out dough 🙂
Measure flour lightly by spooning it into the measuring cup. It works for me
I took a cooking class in college and we spent weeks on pie crusts. I love the tip here about grating in the butter-that is so much easier! My pie crusts were amazing the first few years after taking the class. But the last few years I’ve had a ton of trouble with dry crusts. I figured it was changes in humidity as I’ve moved. So when asked to make pies this year for Thanksgiving, I decided to look for a new recipe and tutorial. I found this one and decided to give it a go. I tried it twice, very carefully measuring the flour and knifing off the top to make sure there was no excess. The dough was so dry, so I added an extra TBSP of sour cream. I followed the directions to a t and didn’t over mix – I could see the butter swirls in the crust just a my instructor taught us to ensure a flaky crust. I just tried my coconut creme and banana creme pies with this crust. And the bottom of the crust is thick and tough and not good! I’m really disappointed in this! It was the easiest time I’ve ever had rolling out crusts before though, but all that matters is the final product and this wasn’t it for me. Thanks for the tips and I’m glad it works for some people but it is not for me.
I am a pie crust making drop-out. I’ve never had success with regular pie crust so I just gave up and started buying it all the time. BUT, I made this crust for my Thanksgiving pies. I must have measured my flour to heavily because I had to use some extra sour cream, but I was so pleased with the results. The crust didn’t get tough and it actually tastes really good. I had extra pastry so my son cut out shapes. We sprinkled them with cinnamon sugar and baked them for mini pastry cookies. I am so pleased to have found a recipe that works for me!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This recipe has finally made my pies legitimately “from scratch”. I love to bake but pie crust have always been my nemesis. Thanks to you I have conquered them and my Thanksgiving apple pie turned out beautifully. You are awesome!! Next up – your pretzel buns recipe. 🙂
Okay – before I tossed out my dough, I decided to try one last thing: my pastry blender. Instant fix! It came together beautifully the way a fork could never achieve and without adding extra sour cream. I should have used it earlier but thought I’d follow the directions 😉 Excited to taste it now!
Hi Lachelle – glad you were able to rescue the pie dough.
Just a note about this pie dough, there isn’t anything missing from the recipe – I’ve made this dozens of times and it really truly does turn out the flakiest, best pie crust I’ve ever made. However, I really do want to help those who are struggling with the recipe (take note, though, that many have also had great success so it is working for a lot of us!). I’ve responded to a few comments in the thread, but a lot of this will depend on how you measure the flour. My plan is to make this next time and weigh the flour to know exactly how much is there, but those who have too dry of a mixture may be measuring the flour with a heavy hand. I’ve talked about measuring flour here, but I always fluff up my bucket of flour, then scoop in my measuring cup and level off with a knife. Flour amounts will make a huge difference. Also, your idea of using a pastry blender is a great one. I made three of these pie crusts for Thanksgiving and agree that in a tripled recipe, the sour cream didn’t mix in quite as well and I wish I would have gone for my pastry blender too. Thanks for that tip! Also, for those who have had tough crusts, that will happen anytime a pie crust is overworked. It is really, really important that each step is done with minimal mixing/rolling of the dough. I’ll add some notes to the recipe and feel free to chime in (anyone) with your experiences. I made a caramel apple pie with this pie crust for Thanksgiving and again, it was reconfirmed to me that this truly is the only pie crust recipe I’ll ever use. I hope you have great success if you try it! Don’t be afraid to add more sour cream like I indicate in the recipe. Like I mentioned, if you have more flour from measuring, you’ll need a bit more sour cream.
I’m making the dough tonight and experiencing problems that other commenter’s had about dryness. After adding the sour cream and then another teaspoon, it is still so incredibly dry. I use and trust your site and recipes 100% because I know you test them before posting, but something must be missing for several people to have the same results. Back to my old trusty recipe after all. Dinner is in 12 hours!
Hi Mel,
I love your site! I have a quick question for you. My pie crusts always stick to the bottom of the pie plate, your directions didn’t specify if I should spray the pie plate before putting the crust in. I always spray my pie plates but the crust still sticks horribly. Should I be using a different method other than cooking spray?? Thanks for the help!
Hi Laura – maybe try rubbing a bit of shortening into the pie plate? That may work better than cooking spray. Good luck!
I made this today (I’m eating a warm piece of pumpkin pie now, as an American living in Belgium I can start my solitary celebration early =) and had some difficulty. First it was way too dry and crumbly with 1/2 cup of sour cream, then it was way too wet and sticky with just a couple more spoonfuls added. I rolled it out between parchment because it was so gloopy, way overworked it, was scraping it off the paper and patching it together with my hands, then the butter/fat in the crust bubbled up and over and filled my oven and eventually the whole downstairs with smoke during baking.
I was worried it would be inedible, but somehow (probably my mama’s prayers!) it turned out delicious and flaky and the most successful pie crust I’ve ever made. It tastes very rich and has a texture almost like a croissant. It browned nicely and lightly and the sweetness is perfect. I don’t understand how it isn’t a blackened crisp, or how its texture is so light when I did everything wrong.
I will try it again in the future, adding the extra sour cream a little slower, and refrigerating it prior to rolling it out may also help. It’s also possible my sour cream is fattier than American style (it’s somewhere between Breakstone’s and crème fraîche).
Thank you for the recipe!
Thanks for the response, Mel. I’ll give it a try again 🙂 Happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Mel. I just have to say thank you for this recipe. Homemade pie is my favorite thing! I have tried to make my own crust in the past and it never worked out! It was so frustrating! I tried your crust recipe for the first time the other day and it came out great! I was so thrilled. I actually made a chocolate bourbon walnut pie and it was yummy :). I was so proud of my homemade crust! So, thank you for a great, easy recipe. I look forward to all the pie making I will be doing over the holidays! I love all your recipes….My son’s 2 favorite recipes are yours: the sweet and sour chicken (ridiculously good), and the oven baked chimichangas! Happy Holidays 🙂
Mel, help!! I am doing something wrong. I was so excited to try this recipe because I am always disappointed with my pie crusts. I always do butter-based pie crusts and they always taste good, but they are ALWAYS rather tough. I was hoping this time would be different. I’ve tried it twice since you posted it. It’s helped me achieve new heights of flavor and flakiness, but they are still tough, and the process of rolling out the dough leaves me frustrated almost to tears (literally). I never can get it round, it always sticks horribly, and I have to patch it grotesquely. And it’s not like I’m new to pie-making. I make them several times a year at least. The first time I tried this recipe I thought maybe I was adding too much sour cream so I made sure it was still pretty dry. But it still stuck when I rolled it out. I have tried so many different things–chilling before rolling out, using waxed paper, using plastic wrap, using plenty of flour, and my crusts are always the same–hard to roll out and on the tough side. Would you ever consider at some point doing a video tutorial? I wish I could see the actual process of mixing and rolling out (which is assume where my fatal problem comes in). I too have an obsession with becoming a great pie master but I feel completely thwarted and almost ready to give up. Any advice would be great. Thank you!!!
Hi Beth – good idea on the video tutorial; don’t know when I’ll get to it but I’ll definitely put it on my list of things to include on my site. In the meantime, I think you are right that the tough crust is coming from handling it too much while rolling it out. I’m sorry this one isn’t working out! If you dare try it again, I would add a bit more sour cream (you don’t want it super, super dry) and make sure it is pliable before rolling (not too chilled from the refrigerator). Have you ever tried one of those canvas-covered boards? I have one for making lefse and people swear that it is the best thing for pies too (although I haven’t tried it yet).
I made this piecrust over the weekend and put it in the pie pan to be used at Thanksgiving. It was very easy to do by following your directions. How long should the crust be thawed before I add the pumpkin pie filling? I sure looks like a delicious crust.
Can’t wait to try it. Thanks for another great recipe, Mel.
Pat – I think you could use the pie crust already frozen. If you’d like to thaw, I’d put it in the fridge overnight and defrost it that way (or on the counter at room temp for an hour or so).
Hi Mel,
I have never really made pie crust before…ah! I am going to try this one though, you’ve convinced me :). I have “bleached” flour instead of “unbleached” in my cupboard right now. Is it vital to have unbleached? Thanks and happy baking this week!
Canda – unbleached flour is preferred since it doesn’t give off a chemical taste but no reason to run to the store if you don’t already have plans. Bleached should work out ok.
Can this dough be rolled out straight from the refrigerator or do it have to sit for 10-15 minutes before rolling.
Jackie – I usually roll it out without refrigerating. If you have refrigerated then yes, it will be much easier to roll it out after letting it rest for 10-20 minutes.
Hi
Do you have a 10 inch version of this pie recipe.
Jackie – I don’t have the amounts for a 10-inch version. I suppose you could increase the recipe by half and try it that way.
I used this crust to make mini apple pies tonight and they turned out fabulous! Flaky but still substantial and easy to work with! Yay! Totally my crust for Thanksgiving this year. 🙂
I just made this pie crust for a chicken pot pie for dinner… whoa, Nelly. It was AMAZING. My husband, who hates pie crust with a vengeance and usually just eats the filling of pot pies and leaves the crust for me, ate more crust than I did! So deliciously flaky. Thanks for revolutionizing my pies!
So sad, this recipe was a complete failure for me. Very rare to have something from your site not work, so I was surprised. It was so dry that I had to keep adding sour cream. when it finally started to come together I feel like I had already overworked it so I knew I was in trouble. and then it just didn’t roll out thin at all. It was way too thick and the bottom of the pie crust never cooked all the way, even though the pumpkin filling was done. 🙁
I’m so so proud of my very first homemade pie! My children think I am a superhero now. I had to double the sour cream to get anywhere with the dough but it still turned out wonderful. I used your apple crumble pie recipe, mmmmmmm. I saw your previous comment about this and will try measuring with a lighter hand next time. Thanks Mel!
I didn’t go through all your pie crust recipes in the archives to see what ‘versions’ you have made before, but, thought I’d mention the added ingredient that revolutionized my traditional flour/butter/water/salt pie crust I’ve always made.
What is the ingredient that has made my crust turn to my beloved? Apple cider vinegar. Just a teaspoon. It seems to have given it the same effect as using shortening but still made with butter. Love it!
Now, I’ll have to try the sour cream version to compare…sounds intriguing! Thanks for sharing. I love any suggestion to improve on the (already) fail-proof.
I hate making pie crusts. I decided to try this with a sweet potato pie for my husband. The entire pie was gone within hours, and my husband … who claims to be a “crust expert,” said it was delicious. It was so easy to make and roll out, and it really looked beautiful. Honestly, it’s the only pie crust I have ever made that didn’t burn! Can you say… excited?!?! I am!!!! It will now be the ONLY crust recipe I ever use.
thanks for this amazing post, Mel! I made two of these babies today (one I made with a spinach quiche for dinner and the other I put in the fridge to roll out for a chocolate pie tomorrow) and they were fantastic! Not only is the crust delicious, it is so easy to work with. In the past, I have felt so discouraged with how my crusts and shaping the outer edges. Following your tutorial worked like a charm. I made my husband take a picture of my crust before we devoured it since I was so proud. You are wonderful!
Mel! I love your recipes, girl. Seriously, I trust you 100% so I was willing to give the butter/sour cream combo a go since you know what you’re talking about. Well, I loved the flavor and texture of this pie crust (very buttery without being greasy and very flaky) but I had some major shrinkage when I blind baked the crust. Grrr…I was careful not to press the pie in when I put it in the pie pan. I just sort of placed it in there, then I put my foil and beans on and I thought I was good to go. All my crimping efforts were wasted when I took it out of the oven and the edges were all slumped down. So sad! I’m all about food that tastes good, even if it’s not very pretty, but with pies, you really want them to look pretty! I would love your opinions on how to prevent future crust slumpage! Should I freeze my crust before I bake it? I’ve heard you can blind bake with an empty pie pan sitting in the crust- your thoughts? Pleeeease help meeeee! Thanks a ton, Mel!
Hi Annie – did you refrigerate the crust prior to blind baking? Refrigerating helps the gluten to relax and is really important so the crust doesn’t shrink.
I had this exact same problem. I refrigerated for over an hour before I rolled out the dough….then I refrigerated the dough half an hour prior to baking. Should I have refrigerated longer?
Refrigerating for an hour might help – but do you feel like the crust was really soft? Pie crust will shrink if there’s too much liquid, too.
Sorry if you already answered this but I’ve got babies waking up, and I gotta be quick. I can make this dough now and freeze it for thanksgiving, right? And any idea if I can make your recently posted apple pie and stick that uncooked in the freezer for thanksgiving?
Marci – yes, you can make this and freeze it until the big day. I haven’t tried actually freezing the filling in the unbaked pie crust but it’s worth a try (sorry I can’t tell you if that will work out 100% for sure or not).
Just how frozen does the butter need to be? Say I wanted to make this pie crust and didn’t have any frozen butter on hand, how long would I need to stick it in the freezer before it’s technically frozen enough? 🙂
Audrey – I never plan ahead and so I throw the butter in the freezer for 10-15 minutes and call it good.
Wow! This is a great and comprehensive post. Thanks for putting it all together with the photos.
You can use a Salad Shooter to grade your butter. It works really good
Loved this post! I have a recipe I’ve stuck with since college. It comes out perfect for every pie I’ve made. This is the first time in many, many years that I’m tempted to try a new one. Love the frozen butter/box grater idea.
You can use whole wheat pastry flour, it can be found in most super markets in the health food or baking aisles. We used to bake with it in a bakery I worked at long ago with great results.
This recipe looks amazing. Thanks.
I made your piecrust yesterday since I had to take a pumpkin pie to an activity. I found it was still dry after I added the 1/2 c sour cream so I added a couple more tablespoons but it still seemed dry. I finally added a little ice water to get it to come together. Do you add a lot more sour cream when you make it? It didn’t turn out quite as flaky as I was hoping though. Do you think it was because I added some water? Also even though I covered the crust around the edges after 20 minutes it still browned quite a lot. I love your blog and I am always trying out your recipes. Your pretzel rolls were amazing and every time I make them I get rave reviews. I love to see what new recipes you post – keep up the great work!
Hi Colleen – a lot can depend on how the flour is measured. I measure with a pretty light hand (the dip and sweep method after fluffing the flour a bit) so it may be that you had more flour in the dough than I do. The texture will probably change by adding other ingredients (like ice water) so that may be why it wasn’t as flaky as you were hoping. I’m sorry it didn’t work out! I hope if you give it another try it will work out better for you (try measuring the flour more lightly and don’t be concerned if it’s still a bit crumbly after mixing in the sour cream – it will come together as you roll it out).
Mel,
Do you need to pre-bake your pie crust before adding the filling, or can you cook it all at the same time?
Hi Jaka – it totally depends on the pie recipe you are using. Many fruit pies call for filling the unbaked crust and baking all together (same with pumkin) but cream pies are usually prebaked. Each pie recipe should specify.
Thank you, it will help me to make a perfect pie 😀
I am totally blown away here. Sour cream? I have never seen this, and you can bet that I will be trying it!!
I made this tonight and it turned out AWESOME!!! Thanks for all the hard work putting this tutorial together. I have NEVER made a pie crust before and tonight I made my husband and son an apple pie and it turned out AWESOME! Thank you so much. I linked to you blog from my recipe blog. http://macsmenu.blogspot.com/2013/11/be-bravemake-pie-crust.html
THANKS!!
This is a great tutorial for making pie crusts especially for anyone not used to making them on a regular basis. I have to admit you’ve peaked my curiosity. I love my mom’s homemade pie crust recipe and I can practically make it in my sleep, but using sour cream? ahhhh, that sounds different but intriguing. I’d love to taste some of your pie crust!
…Thank you. I love you. :o)
…Peace & blessings.
Could you use lard instead? Would you have to freeze it?
Beth – I’ve only ever made this pie crust with butter and is what I recommend using – if you want to try lard, you’ll have to experiment. Good luck!
sounds wonderful……wonder if you can use Greek yogurt instead of the sour cream?
Using the box grater box grater on the frozen butter (lard, whatever) is a great method! Got that tip passed down from a relative but this is the first time I’ve ever seen it on a food blog recipe.
Mel, this is my first time commenting, but I have been following your blog for a couple of years and I adore it! Your recipes are on our table every week! I always have trouble with my pie crusts shrinking. I hope that makes sense. Does this one shrink when baked or does it stay put? Thanks for all your awesome recipes and tips:)
I’m excited to try this! Do you know if there’s something special about the sour cream, or could I substitute plain greek yogurt instead?
Karina – I’m all about experimenting in recipes but for this pie crust recipe, I’ve only ever used full-fat sour cream so if you want to try Greek yogurt, you’ll have to try it out.
Good luck!
I don’t know Mel…your apple pie crust is pretty much fail proof already! It has turned me into a pie maker, even when I tried using other “fail proof” recipes. I am excited to try this recipe as well. Thanks for making my life so much more tasty!
Looks great! I have a question that I’ve always wondering about using dry beans as a baking weight. Can you still use the beans for cooking or do you only use them for a baking weight once you have used them that way once?
Thanks – we (my girls and I) look forward to trying your recipe!
Mary A. – after I use them for prebaking a pie crust, I don’t use them in other “bean” recipes. I have about 100 pounds of dry beans in my food storage so I just reserve these in a ziploc bag and their new role in life is to help me with pie crusts. 🙂
Thanks, Mel! Pie crusts hate me but I’ll have to try this! I would love to master this so I can make pie without going out and buying a crust every time!
Didn’t you say you’d be sharing a pie crust recipe with part coconut oil? Pretty please? I’ve never gotten it to work.
Hi Rachel – I DID say that, actually, and I’ll be posting those tips soon. I haven’t posted about it yet because this sour cream pie crust takes the cake for all other pie crusts in my opinion. But in case you want to try the coconut oil version, I’ve subbed in coconut oil for pie crust recipes that use half butter/half shortening (I sub in the coconut oil for the shortening). I chill the coconut oil just slightly and then add it in according to the recipe. It’s definitely not rocket science but I love not using shortening and still getting a decent pie crust.
oops! by the time I sat down to type my question, someone else had already asked it. I will grate the butter!
This crust looks great! I regularly make a regular butter/shortening crust by cutting the fat into the flour with the s-blade of my food processor (and love that method!). Do you think it will work to cut in to butter with the food processor until crumbly, or does the grated butter make an important difference? Thanks!
I am also curious if this will work well with Chicken Pot Pie (one of my favorite meals). Just FYI, there is a typo I believe in step 7 of your instructions for the pie recipe. I was thinking it should read “it SHOULDN’T be falling apart either.”
Alice – thanks for the heads up! I just fixed the typo. As for your question (and others that asked about a savory application), yes this could definitely be used for pot pie or savory recipes (some people omit the sugar when using a pie crust for savory recipes but I leave it in).
I have never been successful making pie crusts so I gave up a long time ago. I think I might try it again so wish me luck. 🙂
ANYONE that can promise perfect pie crust WITHOUT shortening…is my hero. Perfect timing. I’m trying it out.
I definitely will try this the next time I need to make a pie. The method I use also calls for grating the butter, but no sour cream. There is something about making pie (and bread), that makes me feel like– I am a salt-of-the-earth woman, and I can do ANYTHING. Well now it feels silly to type that out, but these are the things that go through my mind when making pie.
This is fascinating. I’ve seen sour cream in some interesting things lately, and it really does lend an excellent flavor/texture to baked goods. My friend swears by a recipe that uses VODKA of all things in the crust because it lends moisture while you’re rolling, and then cooks out. I never actually tried it, because I can’t stand the smell of vodka, but I can’t wait to try this.
Have you doubled this to make a 2 crust pie?
Eileen and Lori – yes, this doubles beautifully for a double crust pie!
The reason I ask is that your crust is much prettier than the 7-Up crusts tend to be (that’s their one downfall). And your descriptions of the flavor were amazing. So now I may have to break my own rule and try it . . . for science!
Thank you! I always have trouble with pie crusts and shy away from them, but this looks like I could do it! Thanks!! and all your pictures are wonderful and so helpful!
Does this double well? For a two crust pie?
Hi! Have you tried to freeze it? I like to make about 4 at a time so I can pull when needed. What do you think? Personally, I don’t see a reason why not, but would like to see what you thought before I whip up a extra large batch 🙂
Hi Erika – I haven’t frozen the rolled out pie crust but I’ve frozen the disc of pie dough and it’s thawed and rolled out just fine.
I make my scones the same way…grating the butter into the flour mixture. I will never do it any other way, so easy!
Can this be used for savory pies (like chicken pot pie)?
I have become a pie crust-phobe since having so many failures. I can hardly wait to try this–it’s almost pumpkin pie time and my family will be expecting it. I want to be able to eat the crust on this year’s pies! Thanks for all your research to help me be successful!
Your pie crust is so pretty 🙂 I usually make a 7-up pie crust with a pastry blender, but I will have to try this!
Oh, of course! Great idea to use the foil between the crust and beans while blind baking. Whenever I prebaked crusts my edges would fall into the center. Then I read you could fill it with rice before baking. While that did keep the edges from falling in, I then had little pieces of rice baked into the crust. Foil totally would have prevented that. You are a genius!
Thank you!! I recently made some pie crust using sour cream and it was delicious! I made it into hand pies. I’ve not tried it for a full pie, yet. Now, I have your inspiration! Thanksgiving pies, look out! Your crusts are going to be more amazing than ever!
(Do you think I could still use my food processor to mix up the crust, though? I hate getting it all up in my fingernails/rings which I can’t remove.)
I’ll be trying this soon!
Larissa – yes, you could probably still use your food processor, although you probably wouldn’t want to grate the butter because processing it will break the butter up into very tiny pieces so I’d keep the butter in chunks before using a food processor so there are still nubbins of butter to create that flakiness.
Very nicely done, Mel! Excellent, timely post.
Okay, so your banana cream pie recipe is my most favorite pie EVER!!! I make it using your graham cracker coated pie crust. I’m wondering if you would choose this pie crust over that one for this particular pie?
Danae – great question! I actually used this sour cream pie crust recipe for that very same pie a few weeks ago (that and the coconut cream pie) and simply rolled it out in graham cracker crumbs. It was phenomenal. Seriously, I don’t know that I’ll ever use another pie crust recipe again. 🙂
This is so helpful! Thanks for sharing, Mel! 🙂
Great recipe Mel. I’ve never made pie crust but I’ll try it this year! Can whole wheat flour be subbed for the all purpose flour?
Nikeva – you’ll have to experiment with the whole wheat flour. In my experience, it creates a much denser crust so I always stick with all-purpose flour. It’s pie – I might as well splurge a bit, right?
Beautiful! This is the best pie crust tutorial ever. I can’t wait to try it. Thanks, Mel!
Okay, I’m intrigued. I’m trying to decide whether to try it or not because I had at one point sworn off all pie crust recipes other than my mom’s. When I was a newlywed, I made my husband an apple pie using his mom’s recipe, and despite my doubts, used her pie crust recipe as well. It was one with ice water and refrigeration and whatnot. Well, I ended up re-rolling it about 8 times, giving up in tears, and starting over with my mom’s recipe, which was finished and in the pie tin within 15 minutes. Anyway, like I said, I’d sworn never to try anyone else’s “no-fail” crust because they all claim to be, and they are all difficult to work with. Have you ever tried a 7-Up crust, and how does it compare to this one?
Brinestone – I’ve never tried a 7-up crust so I have no idea how it compares. Sorry!
It’s a little embarrassing how excited I am to try this crust. I am LOVING all the step by step photos!!
I’ve always been intimidated by pie crusts so I’ve always bought them, even though I know that homemade tastes better. I think that I will try to make them this year! Thank you for the great pictures and instructions.
Wow. I’m impressed. You make a pretty pie crust. I’ve finally conquered making a good crust but it never looks perfect. Oh well. Always something to strive for. 🙂
LOVE this post!! Awesome tutorial! Thank you Thank you Thank you! 🙂
You must have read my mind or atleast felt my pie crust anxiety I always have this time of year. I make everything from scratch EXCEPT pie crusts, I hate making pie crusts, way to futzy for me and they never turn out great.I cant wait to try this one. Thanks Mel!
This is one of your best posts ever! I usually buy pie crusts, but no more bought crusts for me! I plan to make several this week and freeze them till Thanksgiving. The picture tutorial is a great help since I need all the help I can get when it comes to baking! Thank you again for making life a little easier and a lot more delicious.
Hello
I tried this twice and each time it shrank down to nothing. I had to throw it away. Any idea why?
I’m sorry this is happening, Nicole. Pie crusts have a tendency to shrink if the dough has been overworked (too much processing in the food processor or by hand) or if they aren’t refrigerated prior to baking. The gluten in the pie dough needs to relax before it is baked otherwise it can shrink.