Easy Pie Crust With Shortening

There’s something truly special about a from-scratch pie crust. It’s the foundation that elevates a good pie to a great one. This recipe for an Easy Pie Crust With Shortening is my absolute go-to for its perfect balance of flakiness and tenderness. While I love the flavor of an all-butter crust, this version uses shortening as its secret weapon for an incredibly flaky, easy-to-work-with dough that won’t break the bank. It’s the reliable workhorse behind my holiday pies, and with the tips below, it can be yours, too.

Why You’ll Love This Easy Pie Crust With Shortening

• Incredibly Flaky: The high melting point of shortening creates steam pockets during baking, resulting in those beautiful, sought-after flaky layers.
• Easy to Handle: This dough is less prone to shrinking and stays cooler than an all-butter dough, making it forgiving for both new and experienced bakers.
• Cost-Effective: Shortening is typically more affordable than butter, making this a budget-friendly choice for your holiday baking spree.
• Versatile: Use it for any double-crust pie, from apple to cherry, or make two single-crust pies like pumpkin and pecan.

This easy pie crust recipe has been used in our family so much that it is practically part of our history. It works just as well in a tropical jungle as it does here in the humidity of the southern states as well as the aridity of the west. It is my ‘one size fits all’ pastry dough.

A Note on Fat: While I developed this recipe with shortening for maximum flakiness and cost-effectiveness, you can substitute an equal amount of cold, unsalted butter if you prefer its rich flavor. For a blend of both, try ½ cup shortening and ½ cup butter.

Baking With Kids: A Doughy Delight

Making this easy pie crust with shortening is a wonderful sensory experience for kids! Let them get their hands involved (after washing them, of course!).

• The Measurer: They can help measure the flour and salt.
• The Crumble Crew: Using clean hands, let them have fun rubbing the shortening into the flour until it looks like coarse sand.
• The Dough Whisperer: Kids love the magic of sprinkling in the water and watching the crumbly mixture turn into a cohesive dough.

And here’s the best part for little bakers: the scraps! Instead of throwing them away, gather the leftover dough and let your kids roll it out. They can cut it into fun shapes with cookie cutters, butter them, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and bake at 375°F (190°C) for 8-10 minutes until golden for delicious, impromptu pie crust cookies. It’s the perfect little kitchen reward for their hard work!

Tips for a Perfect Crust

• Keep Everything Cold: The key to flakiness is cold fat. Use chilled shortening and ice-cold water.
• Don’t Overwork the Dough: Over-mixing develops gluten, which leads to a tough crust. Mix just until the dough comes together.
• Rest is Best: Don’t skip the chilling time. It makes the dough much easier to roll out and prevents shrinkage in the oven.
• Easy Rolling: The key to rolling out pastry thin without it sticking has less to do with how much flour is under it and more with how often you flip and turn the dough. The air space is what keeps it from sticking. I roll 3-4 times to get it the shape I want, then flip. Repeat. As long as you can keep flipping the dough and/or turning it a little between rolls, the more likely it will not stick.
• Unbaked Fillings: If you are using this for a cream pie, simply prick the crust with a fork and bake at 350* until light brown before cooling and filling. Since this recipe was created for pies needing two crusts, you can make two cream pies or use the excess dough to make Pie Crust Cookies!

Your Pastry Questions, Answered

Can I make this ahead of time?
Absolutely! The dough disks can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling.

My dough is too crumbly and won’t come together.
This means it needs a bit more water. Sprinkle in another tablespoon of ice water and mix gently until it just holds together.

Why did my crust shrink?
This is usually caused by the gluten being overworked and not rested. Ensure you handle the dough gently and give it a full 30 minutes to chill in the fridge before rolling and baking.