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my mom's flaky pie crust

(5 ratings)
KQuintal avatar
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Kimberly Quintal
@KQuintal
Union City, CA

It doesn't matter where my mom takes one of her pies, she receives compliments on her light flaky pie crusts. You never see the crust still sitting on the plate when someone eats a slice of her pie! This is a versatile crust recipe and can be used for more than just pies. When I was learning to make the crust, I would practice with Mom's recipe, cut the dough into strips, sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar, bake, and eat. I have added lemon zest when making a lemon pie and cinnamon for an apple pie. If using the crust for chicken pot pie, you can use stock/broth for the liquid.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

An old-fashioned pie crust recipe just like Grandma used to make. What makes this recipe slightly different is using cold milk instead of water. This flaky crust will be perfect for any holiday pie filling. We found it was just the right amount of dough for two shallow 9-inch pies.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(5 ratings)
yield 2 9" pie crusts
prep time 20 Min
cook time 25 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For my mom's flaky pie crust

  • 2 c
    all-purpose flour
  • 1 c
    Crisco shortening (or butter flavor shortening if you prefer)
  • 1/4 - 1/2 c
    cold milk, cream, or half n half
  • 1 tsp
    salt
  • 1 tsp
    granulated sugar

How To Make my mom's flaky pie crust

  • Flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
    1
    Pour 2 cups flour into a mixing bowl. Add sugar and salt. Stir.
  • Cutting shortening into flour.
    2
    Add 1 cup of shortening. With a pastry cutter, cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles sand.
  • Slowly add milk to the flour.
    3
    Add 1/4 cup of milk a little at a time. Sometimes you will use the full 1/2 cup of milk, and sometimes not depending on the time of year and humidity.
  • Mixing until dough comes together.
    4
    With a large fork (I like to use a large serving fork for example) stir until it "comes together" and STOP! Over-mixing is what causes a tough dough.
  • Dough rolled into a ball and covered in plastic wrap.
    5
    With floured hands, form a dough ball then flatten it a bit into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and set in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes to rest. This allows the dough to relax and makes it easier to roll.
  • Rolling the dough on a floured surface.
    6
    During the last 10 minutes of resting, preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. When ready, on a well-floured surface (you can use less flour if you have one of those pastry discs with a pastry cover on it), roll the dough out to whatever shape you need it for the pan or pie plate you are using.
  • Holes poked into the crust.
    7
    Dock the crust (poke holes in it with a fork, toothpick, or another utensil to make small steam-release holes) before baking. It usually bakes for about 25 minutes. If you are using it for a no-bake pie, add filling after baking and cooling. For crusts that bake with the filling, follow your recipe's instructions.
  • My Mom's Flaky Pie Crust baked.
    8
    Why not butter? Butter gives good flavor but makes crust hard and crunchy not light and flaky. Shortening really is the key. I've known people to combine both like 3/4 shortening to 1/4 butter, but I stick with mom's success!
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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