I developed the following pie crust recipe to be fairly easy to work with and reasonably flaky. Follow the steps and enjoy!
John Lehndorff’s Pie Crust
2½ cups all-purpose or pastry flour
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) chilled unsalted European butter
About 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup ice water
About ¼ cup milk, for brushing top
To make crust: Combine flour, sugar and salt in bowl. Add chilled or frozen butter in random chunks and blend into flour until crumbly. Do not overmix! Colorado’s low humidity means your flour is drier than elsewhere. Mix lemon juice into ice water and sprinkle on as you make the dough pliable. Work the dough gently until it forms a ball. Form into two discs and cover. Let dough rest at least 90 minutes in refrigerator.
To bake the pie: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Transfer disc to work surface and flatten with a rolling pin. Rolling it between sheets of plastic wrap can make it easier. Roll fast so the crust doesn’t warm too much. Roll only long enough to get a uniform thickness. Sprinkle with a little flour if it sticks. Roll out bottom crust and place in a 9-inch, deep-dish glass pie pan. Glass cooks evenly, and you can see if the bottom crust is brown.
Add your fruit filling.
Add top crust, flat or lattice, and crimp the edges tightly. Cut a few steam vents in the top crust. Brush top with milk. A sprinkling of sugar is optional.
Bake on a cookie sheet for 20 minutes. Lower heat to 325 degrees and bake for another 40 to 50 minutes until juice is bubbling up on top crust. Bottom crust should be light golden brown. Continue baking as needed. No soggy bottoms! If necessary, shield the crimp from burning by lowering the heat and covering the crimp with a strip of aluminum foil.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least two hours before slicing. Makes four to eight slices, depending on your definition of “slice.”
John Lehndorff is the former Chief Judge at the National Pie Championships, Executive Director of the American Pie Council, Director of the Great American Pie Festival and spokesperson for National Pie Day, January 23. Read more from John.