I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like pie. There are so many recipes for pie pastry, how do you know which one is the best? I’ve tried many recipes over the years, some were successes, and quite a few were failures. They either ended up being too crumbly, too dense, or just didn’t taste good at all. I know of only two people who I believe could make the perfect crust. One being my dear mother, and the other, my aunt. I guess I could say three, if I count the bakery at my local grocery store. I’ve compiled a list of the three recipes I use often. The only trouble you will have with these is choosing how to fill them.
Pie Crust Fun Facts
- We believe the Ancient Greeks developed pie pastry
- The Romans invented a way to protect food with a covering made from flour and oil. This was not meant to be edible, but later paved the way for what we now know as puff pastry.
- In medieval times, they made pies using beef, lamb and wild birds and cooked them over a fire.
- The earliest pie recipes were described as coffins because of their box like shape
- The early settlers brought their pie recipes to America and adapted them to what was available
- Pies became less popular in the 1870s after a cooking teacher by the name of Sarah Rorer made claims that the pastry of a pie was unhealthy and hard to digest
- Pies became popular once again after WWII when cool whip, jello and ready-made crusts became available
- Fillings for pies vary from meat, fruit and vegetables
- The crust often characterizes pies. For example: top crust (filling is underneath the crust), open-face crust (filling is placed on top of a crust with no top), and a two crust pie (filling is placed between a bottom and top crust)
Cinnamon Soda Pie Crust
The 7UP makes for a sweet and flaky crust in this recipe. The added cinnamon gives it a great taste, which pairs really well with an apple filling.
Ingredients
- 6 cups Bisquick
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 pound lard or vegetable shortening
- 1 can 7-UP (355 ml)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine six cups of Bisquick and two teaspoons of cinnamon with one pound of lard. Use a pastry blender and mix until crumbly.
- Add one can of 7-UP and mix until a dough forms.
- Separate the dough into six equal pieces, and shape into balls.
- Roll out each piece and use as needed.
- Freeze any leftover dough.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Trusty Pie Crust
You can trust that this recipe will be one of the best pie crusts you will ever make, even if it’s your first attempt at making a pie.
Ingredients
- 5½ cups Bisquick
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 2¼ cups lard or vegetable shortening
- 1 egg (beaten)
- 1 tsp vinegar
- cold water
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine five and one-half cups of Bisquick and one tablespoon of sugar.
- Using a pastry blender, mix in two and one quarter cups of lard until the mixture is crumbly.
- In a one cup measuring cup, add one beaten egg and one teaspoon of vinegar. Fill the rest of the measuring cup with the cold water, and stir until combined.
- Fold in the wet ingredients a little at a time to the Bisquick mixture, being careful not to over mix.Do not add more Bisquick if the dough seems too wet. This is how it should be.
- Separate the dough into equal pieces, depending on desired thickness. I like my crust a little thicker, so I usually end up with four pie crusts.
- Roll out each piece and use as needed.
- Freeze any leftover dough.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Cinnamon Roll Pie Crust
This is one of my favorite recipes that my aunt frequently made. You can also prepare it gluten-free. Just swap out the regular Bisquick and replace it with the gluten-free option.
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 2½ cups Bisquick
- 1½ cups butte, cut into cubes (room temperature)
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ⅔ cup sour cream (full fat)
- cold water
Cinnamon Mixture
- 8 tbsp butter, melted
- ¾ CUP brown sugar
- 4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine two and one-half cups of Bisquick and one and one-half cups of cubed butter.
- Mix until just crumbly. Don’t over mix.
- In a separate bowl, combine one-third cup of white sugar and two third cups of full fat sour cream. Mix until the sugar dissolves.
- Pour the sour cream into the Bisquick mixture and beat on low speed until well combined.
- Add cold water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball.
- Divide the dough into two equal pieces and shape into balls. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate while preparing the cinnamon mixture.
- In a small bowl, mix eight tablespoons of melted butter, three quarter cups of brown sugar, four teaspoons of cinnamon, and one teaspoon of vanilla extract. Stir until smooth and set aside.
- Roll out each piece of dough on a lightly Bisquick floured surface. Use a spatula or pastry brush to coat each piece of rolled out dough with the cinnamon mixture.
- Roll each cinnamon coated piece of dough into a tight roll and cut into one-half-inch pieces.
- Flatten each piece with a rolling pin to a thickness of one-quarter inch.
- Place each piece into a greased pie pan, overlapping, and press to seal.
- Continue until the pie pan is full and trim any dough that is overhanging.
- Add the filling of choice and place the top of the crust in the same way as the bottom.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Final Thought
You might wonder why I chose in one recipe, to offer the option of using either lard or shortening. Either will work without sacrificing the taste. Shortening is made up of vegetable oils such as soybean and palm, making it a much better alternative for vegetarians. We derive lard from animal fat, most often from pigs. Whichever one you choose will still offer the same result.. a rich tasting pie crust. Enjoy!
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