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French Pastry Pie Crust

Read Reviews (431)

"My mom found this recipe several years ago, and I still use it today." — TJ

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Original recipe makes 2 pie crusts Change Servings

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 cup shortening

1 egg
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
5 tablespoons water

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Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Mix well, then cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal.
In a small bowl, combine egg, vinegar, and 4 tablespoons of water. Whisk together, then add gradually to flour mixture, stirring with a fork. Mix until dough forms a ball. Add one more tablespoon of water if necessary.
Allow dough to rest in refrigerator 10 minutes before rolling out.

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This crust was great! Great flavor even though it doesn't have any butter in it.(I'm a true butter lover) And it has a great texture, tender and flaky. The key is to not over work it. When I added the liquids and stirred with a fork to get everything somewhat mixed, I then dumped the dough onto a piece of cling wrap where I used it to lightly squeeze it together until it formed a nice ball. If you knead this dough too much it flatten all the shortening pieces. Therefore you won't have anymore flaky, just tough. The cling wrap trick also helps in not adding extra flour as you do when you knead, and that can also make a tough dough.

—LFLOWER75

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Jun 04, 2007

Welll.. A few tips for beginners. I wouldn't say this is the best pie crust recipe I've ever used, but it worked well enough and got the job done. First of all, this looks like a giant crumbly mess in the bowl. Which is intimidating. Get it together, dump it out onto some Cling wrap, and roll into a ball like that. Keep it in the fridge for about 15 minutes. The cold helped mine with the moisture problem. Roll it out the best that you can. I found mine to work much better just putting the dough into the pan and spreading it out that way. It comes out beautifully, although in my case, it took some work.

—Lyndsey

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530 Ratings

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Jul 15, 2003

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER THOUGHT ABOUT REVIEWING A RECIPE (AND BELIEVE ME I HAVE USED QUITE A FEW GOOD ONES), BUT THIS ONE WAS WORTH THE TIME AND EFFORT. YOU MUST UNDERSTAND THAT USUALLY I WOULD NOT BOTHER TO REVIEW A PRODUCT IF I HAVE TO BECOME A MEMBER, BUT AGAIN I PUT THAT ASIDE BECAUSE I WAS SO ANXIOUS TO REVIEW THIS CRUST. I HAVE NEVER BAKED A PIE CRUST BEFORE AND FRANKLY I WAS SCARED TO DEATH TO TRY, BUT I READ THIS ONE AND DECIDED TO TRY IT; THAT WAS THE BEST CHOICE I COULD HAVE MADE. THIS CRUST WAS LIGHT AND VERY FLAVORFUL. I MUST ADMIT I DID USE CHILLED BUTTER INSTEAD OF SHORTENING. REGARDLESS, THIS CRUST IS SUPERB AND EVERYONE WHO HAS TRIED THIS CRUST RAVES ABOUT IT. THANK YOU TO WHOMEVER SUBMITTED THIS RECIPE BECAUSE IT IS A KEEPER THAT I PLAN ON PASSING DOWN TO MY LUCKY CHILDREN.

—BAKER1026

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Aug 29, 2005

excellent! Used my food processor. Added flour, sugar, salt and butter and pulsed until bread crumb consistancy. Added liquid down the funnel. Took less than 2 minutes! Baked it as an apple pie. Beautiful flaky pastry with next to no effort. A have to try recipe.

—ELIZABETH101

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Oct 17, 2003

Outstanding recipe. It's amazing what the addition of an egg and a little vinegar do to an ordinary pie crust. Easily the best dessert pie crust I've ever made or eaten. This is the ultimate crust for "Grandma Ople's Apple Pie" (available on AllRecipes). Also, through a successful experiment, I discovered that if one follows this recipe, but reduces the sugar to only one tablespoon (instead of three), the result is an incomparable crust for chicken pot pie. Print this recipe and DO NOT LOSE IT!!

—UNCLEBEN1980

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Aug 17, 2006

I use this pie crust for every sweet pie that I make. I love it because it compliments the filling perfectly! For easy cleanup and rolling, I place the dough in a huge gallon ziplock bag, place it in the freezer to chill for 15 minutes, and cut the ziplock bag on two sides. So, the pie crust dough is in between the two layers of plastic and its wayy easier to roll out.

—Rosie

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Jan 14, 2004

I discovered this recipe a few months ago while looking for a blueberry pie recipe. The reviews suggested using this crust. I am so thankful! Having never made pie crust before I had a backup plan; a store bought crust to use when I screwed this up. To my delight, the store bought remains in my freezer. This is the most delicious pie crust. I have made probably 30 pies in the past 2 months and every one has been consistent. I always use 5 tablespoons of ice water and just mix till everything is combined. I try not to overwork. Sometimes the dough appears crumbly in the bowl, but I just push it together, roll it and the results are a perfect, flaky crust every time. Everyone comments on how delicious the crust is! Thank you TJ, I will never forget you!

—Randi

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Jul 23, 2003

After reading reviews, I used half butter and half shortening. The crust tends to brown quickly, so I suggest covering edges with foil. I found it a bit too salty, so I cut the salt in half also. Thanks for sharing!

—MAGGIE MCGUIRE

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Nutrition

Calories
212 kcal
11%

Carbohydrates
20.3 g
7%

Cholesterol
13 mg
4%

Fat
13.4 g
21%

Fiber
0.6 g
3%

Protein
2.8 g
6%

Sodium
223 mg
9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

French Pastry Pie Crust

Serving Size: 1/16 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 16
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 212
Calories from Fat: 120

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 13.4g 21 %
Saturated Fat 3.3g 17 %
Cholesterol 13mg 4 %
Sodium 223mg 9 %
** Potassium 29mg < 1 %
Total Carbohydrates 20.3g 7 %
Dietary Fiber 0.6g 3 %
Protein 2.8g 6 %
Sugars 2.4g
Vitamin A < 1 %
Vitamin C 0 %
Calcium < 1 %
Iron 11 %
** Thiamin 19 %
** Niacin 15 %
** Vitamin B6 < 1 %
** Magnesium 2 %
** Folate 25 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.