Discover the ultimate recipe for a flawless vegan all-butter pie crust! Whether you’re aiming for a delectably sweet fruit pie or a savory masterpiece like a quiche or vegetable pot pie, this tried-and-true method guarantees a flaky, mouthwatering crust every single time.
Recipe Tips:
making the crust
The two most important factors for a tender and flaky crust are:
- Make sure that your butter is very cold before you start. When combining the flour and butter, it is crucial to leave little chunks of butter within the dough. As the pie bakes, the heat causes the chunks of butter to melt, generating steam. This steam creates layers resulting in an irresistibly flaky pie crust.
- Don’t overwork the dough. The more you knead the dough the more gluten will develop. As we all know, gluten makes things chewy, which is perfect for breads and bagels, but not want you want for a tender and delicate crust.
When you combine all the ingredients, the texture of the pie dough will be sandy. Don’t be tempted to add more water. Instead pitch a bit of dough between your fingers, if it holds together it’s just right. If it’s still too dry, then add a bit more cold water.
Once you transfer the dough to your work surface, don’t knead the dough. Instead using either with your hands, or a bench scraper, keep pressing the dough together until it forms into a disk. At this point you can wrap the dough in plastic wrap or wax paper and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
blind baking
Blind baking the crust is a technique used in some pie recipes. By partially baking the crust before adding any filling, you can ensure a perfectly crisp and fully baked crust. This step guarantees a delightful pie with no worries of it being half baked or ending up with a soggy bottom.
How to blind bake pie crust:
minutes.
- Bake until pastry is set and pale golden around the edge, about 15 minutes.
- Carefully remove parchment and weights and bake shell until pale golden all over, 5 to 10 minutes more.
Vegan All-Butter Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted vegan butter, (chilled)
- 6-8 tbsp ice water
Instructions
- Place flour, sugar, and salt in processor. (Leave out the sugar if you are making a savory dish).
- Cut cold butter into 1/2 inch cubes, add to food processor and pulse a couple of times. Drizzle in 6 tbsp of the cold water and pulse a couple more times.The dough should be crumbly but hold together when squeezed with fingers. If necessary add more water one tbsp at a time. Do not over-process.
- Turn the dough out of the food processor. Divide in half and gently press the dough together until you form a disk. Do not knead or overwork the dough – just keep pressing it together.
- Form dough into two ¾ inch thick disks. Wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, or until ready to use. At this point, you can also freeze the dough and defrost overnight in the refrigerator before using.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of dough into a 13-inch round.
- Gently transfer it to a pie pan, and trim excess. Lightly prick bottom of shell all over with a fork.
- Refrigerate while you prepare your pie filling.
If your recipe requires blind baking the crust:
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Remove your pie pan from the refrigerator and line with parchment paper (not wax paper – the wax will begin to melt in the heat of the oven). Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice.
- Bake until pastry is set and pale golden around the edge, about 15 minutes.
- Carefully remove parchment and weights and bake shell until pale golden all over, 5 to 10 minutes more.
Notes
Nutrition
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