Detailed Instructions On How To Make Pie Dough

Have you been looking for Detailed Instructions on How to Make Pie Dough? If you have always been intimidated by pie dough, don't be! I promise I will do everything I can to break it down and make it easier to try! Once you get the basics down, it is really easy. In fact, I can make my pie dough in under 5 minutes. Yes, it's that fast. It makes the best pie crust!

Another really great thing about this recipe is it is a partial wheat crust. If you haven't tried making pie dough with whole wheat, don't worry, it tastes amazing and is so flaky!! I promise you will love it.

Options For Mixing The Pie Dough

What tools do you use for making pie dough? Let me share 3 options that work really well. The first is a food processor. I use a Cuisinart Food Processor. It is one of my kitchen workhorses, and I use it constantly. It makes really quick work on a batch of pie dough.

The second is a pastry cutter. This is a really good option if you love or aren't ready to make the food processor purchase yet. The pastry cutter works really well and it is such an inexpensive option!

The 3rd option and one pie purist use are....your hands. Yes, only your hands. I rarely use this method, I like to work a little faster than that, but it also produces amazing results!

Before You Begin

Here are a few things to know before you get started. These Detailed Instructions On How To Make Pie Dough are so important but also simple to follow. Make sure and read through them all. Again, it seems like a lot to learn, but once you get the basics, you will be making pie dough in your sleep!! 🙂

• Make sure all ingredients are chilled. The most important thing in this all-butter crust is to keep that butter COLD until it hits the oven. The reason for this is you want chunks of butter throughout the dough when it goes in the oven. Then as it bakes that butter finally melts and creates small pockets in the dough, creating layers. This keeps the dough flaky and tender. So remember, keep the dough chilled!
• To go hand-in-hand with the first recommendation, get everything ready to go before you start mixing. This ensures everything stays chilled as you work quickly. This can only happen if everything is laid out and ready to go.
• Once the dough is made, divide it in half, wrap it well, and place it in the fridge. Give the dough time to chill and relax. This is a legitimate thing, the dough actually does need to relax. It is so much easier to work with when the gluten has relaxed. It needs to be chilled for at least 2 hours.
• This is a partial wheat crust, meaning I used a wheat/all-purpose combo. I prefer whole wheat pastry flour for this, but a white or red whole wheat is also great. I have used spelt flour, rye, and einkorn as well. All produce really great results. For this recipe, I will use whole wheat pastry flour.

Mixing The Dough

Okay, with the basics out of the way, let's get mixing. Start with your dry ingredients in the food processor or bowl you will be working with. In a traditional pie dough, this is only flour and salt.

In the food processor, give this a few quick pulses. With the pastry cutter, just swirl gently, the same with your hands.

Adding In The Butter

Next, add in your butter. You can see it is in pretty big chunks. They should only be this big if you are using the food processor.

The reason for this is the food processor cuts that butter up super fast. If it is too small, to begin with, it will be nothing by the time you mix. If you are mixing with the pastry cutter or your hands, you will want to start with chunks a little smaller than this.

I like the butter so cold, that I will cut it into chunks, then place it in the freezer while I am working on the rest of it.

Pulse this several times. You still want to maintain pretty good-sized chunks as you will mix again after you add the ice water. In the photo below you can see what my chunks look like.

The Ice Water

Add in your iced water. Now, the water is a variable. It depends on your climate, how dry your home is, etc. I will give you a range to try. Start with the smallest measurement listed, then add another tablespoon or 2 as needed.

I don't like to mix it more than a few pulses, as the food processor can break the butter up too much. The way to tell if you have added enough water is to pinch the dough between your thumb and forefinger. If it sticks together, it is good!

Place on your surface.

Press the dough into a log. Can you see those chunks of butter? That is what you are looking for!

Now, divide the dough in half. This will be your top and bottom pie crust.

Wrap these well and they go right into the fridge. You can also freeze this dough for up to one month. Just make sure it is wrapped well so it won't take on the taste in your freezer.

What To Do With That Whole Wheat Pie Dough?

Now, once your pie dough has been chilled, it is ready to go. This is where the hardest part of the process comes in. What to make with your dough. Should you go savory? Sweet? Round pie? Slab Pie? Hand pies? The possibilities are endless. I will share a few of my recent favorites!

Pie pops are a huge success at our place and so good! It seems like a good idea to have single-serving portions, but the truth is, I ate way too many of these. Pie pops are that good!!

Another favorite of mine is slab pie. I am rarely making pie for just our family. I need a pie that can serve a crowd. Slab pies are perfect for this, and the cherry slab pie was a hit!!

We also really love this Chocolate Pecan Pie. It is one of my husband's favorites. Or...Who am I kidding, he loved every pie I make and each one is his favorite:).