It’s the easiest, flakiest homemade pie crust ever.
Move aside food processor!
Be gone tough pie crusts!
Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
I hath found the holy grail of pastry doughs.
No added water, instead you add sour cream.
I’m not kidding.
Simply Recipes / Elise Bauer
This method works and it couldn’t be easier.
Why Does This Pie Crust Recipe Work?
The biggest issue with flour-based pie crusts is toughness.
Elise Bauer
Toughness develops when protein strands in gluten form when the flour and water come together.
By rubbing the flour initially with butter, you coat the flour protein molecules in fat.
When you add sour cream, you add moisture that is surrounded by fat.
Elise Bauer
you might make and refrigerate it one day ahead, no more than two days ahead of use.
To freeze the dough, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then wrap tightly with aluminum foil.
It will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Elise Bauer
To thaw, let it gently thaw overnight in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature.
Blind-Baking This Pie Crust
This pie crust recipe is difficult to pre-bake.
Halve these amounts for a single crust 10-inch pie.
Elise Bauer
If you don’t have a food processor, try ourhandmade pie crustrecipe (no special equipment needed).
Sprinkled the cubes of butter over the flour.
Use your clean hands to squish the flour and butter together with your thumbs, fingers, and knuckles.
Elise Bauer
Add the sour cream to the flour and butter mixture.
Use a fork to incorporate into the mixture.
Use your hands to gather the pastry dough together into a large ball.
Elise Bauer
Use a knife to cut the ball in half.
Form into two disks.
As you work the dough into disks, it should end up smooth, having the consistency of Play-Doh.
Elise Bauer
Don’t worry about over-working this dough.
Form the disks so that there are no cracks.
Sprinkle all over with a little flour.
Elise Bauer
Wrap tightly with plastic wrap.
Chill in the refrigerator for an hour or up to a day ahead.
If it still feels too stiff to roll out, hold your hands around the edges to soften.
To roll out, sprinkle a clean, flat surface with flour.
As you roll the dough, check to double-check the bottom is not sticking.
If it is, lift it up and sprinkle a little flour underneath.
Roll out to 12 to 14 inches wide, to an even thickness.
It can also be used for a savory pot pie.
Tip
This crust isn’t the best for blind baking since it tends to shrink.
More information about pre-baking a pie crust can be foundhere.
