Easy Pie Crust Recipe

It often happens that I want to cook everything perfectly but due to paucity of time, it is not always possible. At such times I end up buying a lot of ready-made stuff off the shelf in supermarkets. Hence, I decided to find some pie crust recipes which I can use. There are a number of recipes which you can actually make use of, but since I make the pie crust and store them, not all the pie crusts taste as delicious. We will now see some easy to make pie crust recipes.

Basic Pie Crust Recipe

Ingredients

• All-Purpose Flour 2½ cups
• Unsalted Butter 1 cup
• Salt 1 teaspoon
• Sugar 1 teaspoon
• Ice Water 4 to 8 tablespoons

Method

• Cut the butter into ½ inch cubes and place them in the refrigerator for a minimum of an hour, so that it is thoroughly chilled.
• Combine flour, salt and sugar and mix well in a food processor.
• Now add the chilled butter cubes and mix till the mixture is similar to coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter in it.
• Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time and keep mixing, till the flour begins to clump together.
• After about 3 to 4 tablespoons of water, touch the dough and check if it clumps together, if it does, understand that the dough is ready.
• Remove the dough from the machine and divide it into 2 balls.
• Knead the dough just enough to form the discs, but make sure you do not over knead the dough.
• Wrap each dough ball in a plastic wrap and let it refrigerate for an hour.
• After an hour remove the dough balls from the refrigerator and let is sit at room temperature for about 10 to 15 minutes, so that the discs softens enough to make rolling easier.
• Roll out the dough with a rolling pin to make a circle of 12" diameter and about 1/8 inch in thickness.
• Gently press the pie down to the bottom of the pie plate.
• Trim off the dough to within ½ inch of the edge of the pie dish, with a pair of kitchen scissors.
• Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated oven, till it is light brown in color.

Pumpkin Pie Crust Recipe for Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

• Whole Wheat Pastry Flour ¾ cup
• All-Purpose Flour ½ cup
• Sugar 1 teaspoon
• Salt ½ teaspoon
• Cold Unsalted Butter (cut into small pieces) 2 tablespoons
• Reduced Fat Sour Cream 2 tablespoons
• Canola Oil 2 tablespoons
• Ice Water 2 tablespoons

Method

• In a large bowl whisk wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar and salt together.
• Rub butter into the dry ingredients until the pieces of butter are smaller in size, yet visible.
• Then add sour cream and oil to the flour and toss to combine well.
• Sprinkle water over the mixture and mix till the dough is evenly moist.
• Knead the dough for a few minutes, till it is crumbly in consistency.
• Add some dry flour to the dough and knead till the dough holds together.
• Now shape the dough into 5 inch discs and wrap in a plastic and refrigerate for an hour.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Roll the dough between sheets of wax paper into a 13 inch circle.
• Remove the top sheet off the dough and invert the dough into a 9 inch pie pan.
• Peel the wax paper of the other side of the dough as well and trim the crust with kitchen knife.
• Tuck the overhanging crust under forming a double thick edge.
• Now proceed with pumpkin pie recipe.

Both the recipes I have mentioned above are recipes, which do not make use of shortening. With these easy and simple pie crust recipes, it will become easier for you to make the crusts and relish them this summer.