Easy Food Processor Pie Crust

This Easy Food Processor Pie Crust recipe is a quick method that will save you precious time and effort during the holiday baking season. This tried and true method results in a perfect pie crust every time!

As we close in on the holidays it’s time to start thinking about pie. A good pie MUST start with a good crust. Easy as it may be, the ready made variety available at the grocery store is not going to yield a great result. My method and my recipe for this Easy Food Processor Pie Crust come from a variety of sources I have encountered over the years. My mom, who was an accomplished baker, The Pie and Pastry Bible, and years and years of baking pies for my pie lovin’ husband. He considers himself to be the ultimate judge of a good pie and I think he may just be right.

Homemade pie crust gets a bad rap as being difficult to make when it’s actually so simple. Using a food processor to make pie crust makes it quick and easy. You can get your pie crusts made in advance and resting comfortably in your refrigerator in nothing flat.

Ingredients

 It consists of 6 ingredients that are basic pantry staples.

• All-purpose flour
• Unsalted butter
• Shortening
• Apple cider vinegar *see note below
• Ice water
• Salt

One ingredient in this list may stand out to you as being a bit odd. There is some fantastic scientific explanation about how the acid in the apple cider vinegar works with the gluten strands in the flour to produce a flaky crust. The bottom line is that it doesn’t affect the flavor of the crust but does help the texture. Just be sure to add it before you start adding in the water so you can control the moisture of the crust.

Shortening and Butter

Lets talk about fat. Many pie crust recipes call for either shortening or butter. Shortening tends to add flakiness while butter adds flavor. I’ve come to a compromise in my recipe and use both.

Look for Crisco Shortening Baking Sticks in the oil section in the grocery store. They are packaged like butter and easy to measure out for recipes. They are available in both regular and butter flavored and either will work fine.

Always go with unsalted butter so that you can more easily control the salt level and flavor in the finished recipe.

This is not a recipe where you want to soften your butter and shortening, like many other recipes for baked goods. A basic component to any good pie crust recipe is to be sure that your ingredients are cold. Both the butter and shortening should be refrigerated and firm before you start.

How to Store Shortening

Unopened shortening sticks are shelf stable and can be stored in a cool dry pantry for up to 8 months and even longer in your refrigerator. If you store them in your pantry, just be sure to chill them for several hours in the refrigerator before you make your pie crusts. I store one or two shortening sticks in my fridge at all times so they’ll be ready to go when I’m pie baking.

How to Make Pie Crust in a Food Processor

• Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. and pulse 4 or 5 times until combined.
• Cut your butter into small pieces. Add to the food processor and process about 20 seconds or until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

• Add the shortening and pulse again.

• Add 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar and 4 tablespoons of very cold water and pulse. If the mixture still appears a bit dry and is not holding together, add an additional tablespoon of water and pulse again.

• Only add enough water until the pastry holds together and sticks to the side of the food processor bowl. The amount of water needed can vary but I never need more than 5 tablespoons. This might be different for you so always start with less and add more, as needed.

• Pull the pastry out of the food processor and form it into a neat ball.

• Use a sharp knife to cut the ball in half and form the dough into two balls.

• Wrap the balls of pastry dough in plastic wrap and flatten them slightly, into discs. The dough will be easier to roll out if flattened out this way. 
• Move the wrapped dough to the refrigerator and chill them for at least one hour or for up to two days before rolling out.

How to Roll Out Pie Crust

• When you are ready to prepare your pie, remove the pie pastry from the refrigerator and place on a floured board. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.

• Use a rolling pin to roll it out. I still use my very old classic style rolling pin but a French rolling pin is also a great choice. You may need to sprinkle a bit of flour on the top of the crust to prevent it from sticking to the rolling pin.
• Using your pie dish as a guide, be sure it is rolled out large enough to fit in the dish with a little overhang.

How to Transfer Pie Crust to a Pie Dish

• Place your rolling pin at one end of the crust and lift the crust up and over the rolling pin.
• Use your hands to push the rolling pin, wrapping the crust around it until the entire crust is rolled on to the rolling pin.

• Lift the rolling pin and move it over to your pie dish.
• Carefully unroll the crust right in to the pie dish.

How to Flute a Pie Crust

• Use a sharp knife to trim the edges of the crust, if needed, leaving a small amount to hang over the edge as the crust can shrink a bit in the oven. If you are using a deep dish pie plate like I am here, there may not be much at all to trim.

• Tuck the top edges under so that the crust is flush with the top of the dish.

• One hand will work on the inside edge of the crust and the other on the outside.
• Use the index finger on the inside hand to press the dough between the thumb and index finger on the outside hand to create the pretty wavy effect you see here.

• To ensure the bottom crust will cook through, poke the bottom of the crust all over with a fork or the tip of a sharp knife before filling. If blind baking your crust, skip this step.
• The crust is ready to be filled and baked.

Favorite Pie Recipes

Now that you’ve got your perfect pie crusts, here are some of my favorite pie recipes

• Bourbon Pecan Pie
• Old Fashioned Banana Cream Pie
• Pumpkin Hazelnut Pie with Mascarpone
• Blueberry Pie
• Praline Pumpkin Pie
• She’s My Cherry Pie