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cuppacocoa
October 7, 2026
Brushing melted dark chocolate over my favorite flaky pie crust to make it yummy (+ adds a moisture barrier) before adding the pastry cream

I used to make whatever pie crust came along with the recipe. Not anymore. If the recipe requires a standard pre-baked pie crust (banana cream pie, fruit tart, chocolate pie, galette, chicken pot pie, etc.) then this is my holy grail pie crust recipe. It is super simple and turns out perfectly flaky every time. Thank you, Joanne, for the detailed instructions!

The only problem is that the recipe is comprehensive, which is great for the first go at it, or if you want to switch it up and use it in different ways. But 99% of the time I only need to make one pre-baked crust and it’s tedious to sift through pages of instructions to grab the one line I need, so I am reformatting this recipe to suit my single pre-baked pie crust needs. I’ve kept the detailed instructions for how to make it by hand (without food processor), how to roll out a crust, how to make a double-crust pie, etc. below. But if all you need is a single pre-baked pie crust, I’ve reformatted things so the recipe is simple and straightforward at the top here!

Read more: Flaky Pie Crust

Flaky Pie Crust

Reformatted from https://www.inspiredtaste.net/22662/flaky-pie-crust-recipe/
Makes 2 crusts

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Add 1 ½ cups flour, salt, and sugar to a food processor. Pulse 2 to 3 times until combined. The remaining cup of flour will be added later.
  2. Scatter butter cubes over flour and process until a dough or paste begins to form, about 15 seconds. (There should be no uncoated flour).
  3. Scrape bowl, redistribute the flour-butter mixture then add remaining 1 cup of flour. Pulse 4 to 5 times until flour is evenly distributed. (Dough should look broken up and a little crumbly).
  4. Transfer to a medium bowl then sprinkle ice water over mixture — start with 4 tablespoons and add from there. Using a rubber spatula, press the dough into itself. The crumbs should begin to form larger clusters. If you pinch some of the dough and it holds together, it’s ready. If the dough falls apart, add 2 to 4 more tablespoons of water and continue to press until dough comes together.
  5. Remove dough from bowl and place in a mound on a clean surface. Work the dough just enough to form a ball. Cut the ball in half then form each half into disks. Wrap each disk with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months (just thaw it overnight in the fridge before using it).
  6. Roll out dough: Let sit 5 minutes to soften. Roll out and line pan. Refrigerate 20 mins before baking. (Detailed instructions on rolling out dough below).
  7. For one fully baked crust (“blind baked”): Preheat oven to 425°F. Poke holds using fork. Add foil and weights and chill for 20 minutes. When ready to bake, reduce temperature to 400°F and bake for 15 minutes in small countertop oven, or 20-30 minutes in larger oven. (Detailed instructions on baking below).

Detailed instructions for making by hand, rolling out dough, baking a single crust, or baking with two crusts

If it’s your first time, there’s a helpful video you can watch, too!

Method When Making By Hand (instead of food processor)

  1. Add 1 ½ cups flour, salt, and sugar to a medium bowl. Stir 2 to 3 times until combined.
  2. Scatter butter cubes over flour and mix briefly with a fork or spatula to coat the butter with flour.
  3. Cut the butter into the flour with a pastry blender, working mixture until the flour has a coarse, mealy texture similar to fresh bread crumbs. About 1 to 2 minutes.
  4. Add remaining 1 cup of flour. Work butter and flour with the pastry blender until flour is evenly distributed. About 20 seconds. (Dough should look crumbly with pea-sized pieces, see video for reference).
  5. Continue with Step 4 above.

Rolling Out Dough

  1. Remove one of the dough disks from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes or more as needed. (Dough straight from the refrigerator can be stiff, making it hard to roll out. Leave it on the counter for a few minutes to warm up slightly, then try rolling it out again.)
  2. Lightly flour work surface, top of dough and rolling pin. Then use rolling pin to roll out dough to a 12-inch circle (about 1/8-inch thick). Be sure to check if the dough is sticking to the surface below — add a small amount of flour when necessary.
  3. Check for size by inverting pie dish over dough round. Look for a 1-inch edge around the pie dish. To transfer dough to dish, starting at one end, roll dough around rolling pin then unroll over dish.
  4. Gently press dough down into dish so that it lines the bottom and sides of the dish. (Be careful not to pull or stretch the dough). Then, use a knife or pair of kitchen scissors to trim dough to within 1/2-inch of the edge of the dish.
  5. Fold edge of dough underneath itself so that it creates a thicker, 1/4-inch border that rests on the lip of the dish. Then, crimp edges by pressing the pointer finger of one hand against the edge of the dough from the inside of the dish while gently pressing with two knuckles of the other hand from the outside. Refrigerate dough at least 20 minutes or freeze for 5 minutes before baking.

If making a double crust pie, do not crimp edges yet. Roll out second dough disk, fill pie then top with second dough round. Trim the edges then crimp.

    How to Blind Bake a Crust for a Single-Crust Pie (quiches & cream pies)

    1. Heat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Place a baking sheet on a middle oven rack.
    2. Roll out enough dough to make one 9-inch crust (1 dough disk). Place into a pie plate and then pierce the bottom of the crust with a fork (this prevent air pockets or bubbles from forming while baking). Line the crust with two sheets of aluminum foil or parchment paper. (Be sure to push foil against the edges of the crust). Then, fill foil with dried rice, dried beans or pie weights. Refrigerate 30 minutes or freeze for 10 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
    3. Place pie crust onto preheated baking sheet and reduce oven temperature to 400°F (204°C). For a fully baked crust, bake 20 to 30 minutes or until the crust is golden. For a partially-baked crust (a crust that will be baked again, like a quiche), bake until the bottom crust is just beginning to brown, 5 to 10 minutes.
    4. To add a shiny exterior to fully baked crust, make an egg wash by whisking one egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of cream in a small bowl. Then, remove rice, beans or pie weights and foil from pie crust. Brush the bottom and sides of the crust with egg wash. Bake until egg wash is dry and shiny, 3 to 5 minutes. Cool crust completely before filling.

    How to Make a Double Crust Pie

    1. Oven temperature and bake time for double crust pies will vary depending on the pie recipe you plan to follow. As an example, we set our oven to 400° Fahrenheit for our double crust cherry pie (see the cherry pie recipe).
    2. Remove half of dough from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 13-inch (1/8-inch thick) circle.
    3. Check for size by inverting pie dish over dough round. Look for a 1-inch edge around the pie dish. Carefully press the dough into the dish. Spoon the pie filling into pie crust.
    4. Roll out second half of dough then top pie. Use a knife or pair of kitchen scissors to trim dough to within 3/4-inch of the edge of the dish.
    5. Fold edges of top crust underneath edges of bottom crust, pressing the edge to seal it so that it creates a thicker, 1/4-inch border that rests on the lip of the dish. Then, crimp edges by pressing the pointer finger of one hand against the edge of the dough from the inside of the dish while gently pressing with two knuckles of the other hand from the outside. Refrigerate pie at least 20 minutes or freeze for 5 minutes before baking.
    6. Just before baking, make egg wash by whisking egg yolk and cream together in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to brush over the top crust. Then, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Then, cut 3 to 4 slits in top of pie. Bake as directed by the specific recipe you are following.
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