Today is National Pie Day, where we celebrate the most beloved baked good of all time.
In honor of today, we have an easy homemade pie crust and pie recipes that are delicious and cost-effective.
Pie Crust from scratch
It’s easier than you think, and no food processor is required!
Ingredients
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour or pastry flour
1 teaspoon sugar
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ cup + 2 ½ Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar (apple cider vinegar or white vinegar)
8-10 Tablespoons ice-cold water
The recipe should yield 2–9-inch crusts
Directions
- Begin by chopping the butter into small cubes. Then, add the cubes to a bowl and place them in the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes to ensure it’s cold.
- Add the flour, sugar, and salt to a large mixing bowl and mix them together with a fork or spatula. Next, add the cold butter cubes to the flour.
- Use a pastry cutter or two butter knives to cut the butter into small pieces into the flour, or use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour. The result should be like coarse bread crumbs with a few pea-sized butter pieces in the mix. If the butter is melting at any point, place the bowl in the refrigerator.
- Add the lemon juice or vinegar to the ice-cold water. Add it slowly to the flour mixture, a tablespoon at a time.
- Use a spatula or your hands to combine the dough and add in as much chilled water as needed. Add any extra water in slowly, a tablespoon at a time. It should hold together easily when pressed but not be sticky. If the dough is crumbly, add a bit more water.
- If the butter has softened or the dough is warm, place it in the fridge for 30 minutes before continuing with the next step.
- Roll the dough into a rough 10-inch/25-cm rectangle using a rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface. There’s no need to measure it perfectly; lengthen it to around 10 inches.
- Fold the bottom ⅓ of the dough up to the middle, then fold the top ⅓ of the dough over the top to make a pamphlet shape.
- Once finished rolling, cut the dough into two and use your cupped hands to shape each piece into a flat disc gently.
- Wrap the dough discs up tightly using compostable plastic wrap or beeswax wrap. Chill it in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days before using it in your favorite pie recipes.
Apple Pie
The king of all pies!
Ingredients
2 (9″) pie crusts
7 large Granny Smith apples-peeled, cored, and sliced into ½ inch slices
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon juice (plus the zest of half of a lemon)
1 large egg -lightly beaten in a small bowl for egg wash
2 tablespoons of sugar to sprinkle on top of egg wash-optional
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F
2. In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and lemon zest; toss to coat evenly.
2. Remove the pie crust dough from the fridge and let it rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disc into a 12″ circle that is ⅛” thick. Carefully lay the crust into the bottom of a deep-dish pie plate.
3. Spoon the apple filling over the bottom crust and discard the juices at the bottom of the bowl. Roll out the second disc of pie crust until it is ⅛” thick and lay it over the apple filling.
4. Use a sharp knife to trim the dough along the outside edge of the pie plate. Lift the edges where the two pie crusts meet, gently press to seal, and fold them under. Rotate the pie plate and repeat this process until the edges are neatly tucked under themselves. Cut 4 slits in the top of the dough to allow steam to vent. Place the pie on a baking sheet.
5. Brush the surface of the pie crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Cover the edges with a pie shield or a foil strip to keep them from over-browning during the first 25 minutes.
6. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the pie shield, turn the oven down to 375° and continue to bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the juices are bubbly. Cool at room temperature for at least 3 hours.
7. Serve with vanilla ice cream or a slice of cheddar cheese on top.
Blueberry Pie
Incredibly delicious and easy to make!
Ingredients
2 (9″) pie crusts
6 cups (about 2 1/4 pounds) of fresh or frozen blueberries, rinsed and stems removed.
(If using frozen, defrost and drain first)
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
Make the bottom crust
- Remove a dough disc from the refrigerator and sit at room temp for 5-10 minutes.
- Place it on a lightly floured, clean, flat surface. Roll it out into a circle about 13 inches wide.
- Place the rolled-out dough onto a 9-inch pie pan. Trim the edges to 1/2 inch over the edge of the pie tin. Please place it in the refrigerator to chill.
Make the blueberry filling:
1. Pull the second disc of dough from the refrigerator so it can come to temp while you make the filling.
2. Place the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Gently stir them so that all the blueberries are coated with some sugar and cornstarch
3. Remove the bottom crust from the refrigerator and place the sugar-coated berries into the pan.
4. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to the same size and thickness as the first. Place on top of the berry filling.
5. Tuck the top dough over and under the edge of the bottom dough and crimp the edges with your fingers.
6. Preheat your oven to 425°F.
7. Brush the pie with the egg wash. Whisk egg and milk together to make an egg wash. Brush the top crust with egg wash. Score the pie on the top with several cuts (so steam can escape while cooking).
8. Place the pie on the middle rack of the oven with a foil or Silpat-lined baking pan positioned on the lower rack to catch any filling that may bubble over.
9. Bake for 20 minutes at 425°. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake for 30 to 40 minutes more or until juices are bubbling and have thickened.
10. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let cool completely before serving.
What have we learned?
Making pie crust and pie itself is easy and fun to do. We encourage you to keep honing your skills and check out these fantastic pie recipes you can try at home. Happy Baking!
High-interest loans can be expensive and should be used only for short-term financial needs, not long-term solutions. Customers with credit difficulties should seek credit counseling. The opinions expressed above are solely the author’s views and may or may not reflect the opinions and beliefs of the website or its affiliates. Cash Factory USA does not provide financial advice.
Image(s) or Footage (as applicable), used under license from Shutterstock.com.