Flaky Food Processor Pie Crust

It's pie season. Whether you are making a sweet dessert pie or a savory pie like an asparagus quiche or chicken pot pie for dinner you will need a pie crust. 

I know from talking with friends, family, and co-workers year after year, that making pie crust fills more people than not with dread and fear.  You don't have to be an expert to make pie crust.

How to Make Pie Dough with a Food Processor

Making Food Processor Pie Dough

Making pie dough is not rocket science.  A simple combination of flour, fat, salt, sugar, and water magically comes together to create the foundation for a delectable filling.  What's so hard about that? 

What Can Go Wrong When Making Pie Crust?

You overwork your dough. Well, it seems that far too many of us overwork our dough.  Too much handling of the dough makes it tough.  

You don't use the right amount of water. Many of us add either too much water or too little water. How much water you need to use is not exact.  The humidity in the air can affect the amount of water.

You don't chill your ingredients. Freeze your fats for an hour before making your pie dough and use ice water when mixing the dough. 

Wow, it certainly seems a lot can go wrong with so few ingredients!

Using a food processor works for me.  This is the food processor I use. Before using the food processor,  I cut the shortening and butter into my flour mixture with a pastry cutter.  Do you have one of these?

My Trusty Pastry Cutter

Once I discovered the food processor for making pie dough it took much of the uncertainty out of making pie dough.  I still have this pastry cutter, but it has been relegated to a box with seldom-used kitchen tools in the back of a kitchen cabinet.

America's Test Kitchen recently tested food processors to find the best one.  Their favorite was this 14 cup food processor. You can watch America's Test Kitchen review video here.

Steps for Making Pie Dough with a Food Processor 

• Step 1:  Mix the dry ingredients with the fat
• Step 2:  Add the water
• Step 3:  Chill the dough
• Step 4:   Roll the dough

Simple, right?  Let's make some pie crust!

Tips for Pie Dough Success

Watch My Pie Crust Video

Cut the butter and shortening into chunks and freeze for about one hour.

Mix (pulse) the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of your food processor.  

Add the cold butter and shortening to the flour mixture.

Keep Your Butter, Shortening, and Water Ice Cold

Pulse about seven or eight times, until the butter and shortening are well distributed and in small pieces.

The Butter and Flour Combined

Continue to pulse, adding 1/3 cup of the ice water.  The dough will begin to clump together.  If still too dry, add more ice water one teaspoon at a time.  Once the mixture holds together you are done. 

Turn the dough out onto plastic wrap.  Divide the dough into two pieces.  Don't handle the dough too much or you'll be sorry.  Flatten the dough into disks.  Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate them to chill for at least 30 minutes before using.

Disks of Pie Dough Wrapped in Plastic Wrap

When ready to roll out your dough, begin by generously flouring your workspace, using at least 1/4 cup of flour.  Unwrap your disk of dough and place it onto the flour.  Turn the dough over being sure both sides of the dough are floured.  

Rub flour onto your rolling pin and begin rolling away from you and turning the dough clockwise, after every few rolls of the pin.  

Keep rolling until your dough is about an inch larger than your pie plate.

The Dough is Larger than the Pie Plate

Fold the dough in half and lift it over the pie plate.

Placing the Dough into the Pie Plate

Fit the dough into position on the pie plate and crimp the edges.  If making a single-crust pie, refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before filling or prebaking.  

If making a double-crust pie, roll out the top crust, fill the bottom crust, cover the pie with the top crust, and chill for 30 minutes.  Bake according to your recipe directions.

A Single Crust Ready for Baking

If you own a food processor go ahead and use it to make your pie dough.  It helps take the fear away and the debate you have with yourself about whether to buy or make yourself will be over.  No need to buy pie dough again.

Some Recipes Using Pie Crust

Here's my recipe for Asparagus Quiche.

Quick and Eay Pumpkin Pie

Chicken Pot Pie

Easy Pie Crust Recipe

pie dough, pie crusts, pie

dessert

American

Yield: 2 pie crusts

Author: Donna Urso

Easy Pie Crust

Prep time: 20 MinInactive time: 1 H & 30 MTotal time: 1 H & 50 M

Make an easy, flaky pie crust using your food processor. This recipe makes 2 crusts.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon confectioner's sugar (leave out for savory pies like quiche)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, chilled
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
• 1/3 cup of Ice water (you may need a little more or less depending on weather conditions)

Instructions

1. Cut the cold butter and shortening into small chunks and freeze for one hour.
2. Mix (pulse) the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of your food processor.
3. Add the cold butter and shortening to the flour mixture. Pulse about seven or eight times, until the butter and shortening are well distributed and in small pieces.
4. Continue to pulse, adding 1/3 cup of the ice water. The dough will begin to clump together. If still too dry, add more ice water one teaspoon at a time. Once the mixture holds together you are done.
5. Turn the dough out onto plastic wrap. Divide the dough into two pieces. Don't handle the dough too much. Flatten the dough into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate them to chill for at least 30 minutes before using.
6. When ready to roll out your dough, begin by generously flouring your workspace, using at least 1/4 cup of flour. Unwrap your disk of dough and place it onto the flour. Turn the dough over being sure both sides of the dough are floured.
7. Rub flour onto your rolling pin and begin rolling away from you and turning the dough clockwise, after every few rolls of the pin.
8. Keep rolling until your dough is about an inch larger than your pie plate. Fold the dough in half and lift it over the pie plate.
9. Fit the dough into position on the pie plate and crimp the edges. If making a single-crust pie, refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before filling or prebaking.
10. If making a double-crust pie, roll out the top crust, fill the bottom crust, cover the pie with the top crust, and chill for 30 minutes. Bake according to your recipe directions.

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