Homemade Pie Crust

12 pie recipes and tons of tips on how to make homemade pie crust, weaving a lattice crust, and more. This is the ultimate guide for making homemade pie and pie crust.

I remember making homemade pies with my mom when I was a little girl. A made from scratch pie is one of my favorite desserts and a traditional American dessert.

Homemade pie is really simple. Many people struggle with making pie crust from scratch. But, I’ll walk you through the process so you’ll see how easy it really is! (I’ve been making homemade pies for over 30-years!)

Homemade pie crust isn’t hard to make. And once you get the hang of it, you’ll never buy a store-bought pie crust again. Because a homemade pie crust is so much better than a frozen pie crust that you buy at the store.

There’s something relaxing about making pie crust. I worked on my pie crust with lard for years. It’s my go-to pie crust recipe for most of our homemade pie recipes.

Pie Making Tools

• 9 ½-inch pie plates – I recommend Pyrex pie plates, as they are safe in the oven, freezer, dishwasher friendly, and made in the USA.
• Pastry Blender – use this to cut the lard and butter into your flour to make homemade pie crust.
• Rolling Pin – will help you carefully roll out pastry and pie crust.
• Glass Measuring Cup – use this to hold ice water.
• Parchment Paper – line a half sheet pan with parchment paper to catch any juices that might overflow from the pie. This makes cleanup a breeze!
• Half Sheet Pans – put a pie on this as it bakes. Making it easier to contain any juices from pies as they bake.

I also LOVE the new cast iron pie pan from Lodge. It’s got a beautiful scalloped edge and helps keep your bottom pie crust from being soggy.

How to make Homemade Pie Crust

Step 1: In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Using a pastry blender or two forks, cut in the butter and cream cheese until you have pea-size pieces.

Step 2: Add a little water at a time until you can gently squeeze the mixture together with your hands.

Step 3: Place the dough in a large zip-style bag and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight.

Aluminum Foil – for protecting the outer edges of the pie during the baking process.

While some pie crust recipes call for you to use a food processor. My personal experience has found that pie crust is much better made by hand. Incorporating everything by hand, using a pastry blender. This way, not to overwork the pie crust.

You’re more likely to get a flakey pie crust if you cut the fats into the flour with a pastry cutter and combine it together by hand.

Apple Hand Pies

Apple Hand Pies are made with homemade apple pie filling inside golden flaky pie crust or refrigerated biscuit dough. Make them ahead of time and freeze for later! (They pop apart easily while they are frozen!)

Sometimes also called “Apple Jacks” in some Southern states. We fry these hand pies, but you can also bake them.

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie is made with a flaky pie crust filled with shredded chicken, chopped onions, carrots, peas, in a creamy sauce. Chicken and vegetables cooked between a golden flaky buttery pie pastry.

We bake in a dual-handle cast iron skillet, but you can also use a traditional glass pie plate. Be sure and make one to eat and one for the freezer. It will make a home cooked meal simple!

How to make a Lattice Pie Crust

Step 1: Roll out the bottom pie crust and place in a 9 ½-inch pie plate. Pour in your choice of fruit. Use kitchen shears to trim the edges.

Step 2: Roll out the pie crust and cut strips. (nothing says they have to be exactly the same size) Place 3 to 5 strips of pie dough going one direction. Pull back every other piece, slightly.

Step 3: Place one strip of pie dough the opposite way. Repeat this process and weave the crust until the entire pie is covered.

Step 4: Trim the edges of the pie crust if needed with kitchen shears. Roll under the edges of the pie crust. Crimp with your fingers or use a fork to seal the edges.

Step 5: Brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with a little bit of granulated sugar.

How to make an egg wash

• Combine together 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon cold water, and a pinch of salt in a glass measuring cup. Whisk vigorously with a fork until well combined and very smooth.
• Brush on top of your baked goods or homemade pies before baking.
• Refrigerate any leftover egg wash for up to 2 days.

Tips on Homemade Pie Crust

• Keep your pie crust ice cold and do not overwork it. This will help you achieve that flaky crust.
• If it warms up too much while you are working with it, simply plop the entire pie in the fridge and the bag of pie dough in the freezer for a quick chill. Then you can continue to work on creating your masterpiece.

More Pie Recipes

• Homemade Apple Pie
• Pumpkin Pie Recipe
• Apple Hand Pies
• Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
• Pecan Pie

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