Is there anything better than a flaky, fresh-baked pie? We think not. We’re suckers for pie and the perfect pie crust, although, let’s be honest: baking one can be a little daunting. That’s where pastry chef extraordinaire Anna Olson comes in.
In the videos below, Olson shares her best tips for making the perfect pie crust, plus a few bonus hints for presenting it in the most delicious way possible. These instructions and special additions will help you get closer to whipping up memorable pies at home that will leave your friends and family wondering what’s your secret.
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Don’t forget vegetable oil
One of Anna Olson’s non-negotiable ingredients for a perfect pie crust is vegetable oil. It helps bolster the overall fat content and coats the flour so that you don’t accidentally overhydrate the dough when mixing in the butter and water.
Use cold butter
Many forms of baking require room-temperature butter but not pie crust. For a flaky pie crust, it’s cold butter you need. Olson recommends dicing your butter into cubes and letting it sit out for a little bit before mixing it in. You’ll know it’s mixed enough when the flour turns a buttery yellow colour.
Related: Are You Using the Right Butter in Your Baking? The Best Type for Every Baked Good
Don’t overhandle your crust
You don’t want to overmix or overhandle your dough because it will become tough. Instead, shape your dough into two discs, wrap them in plastic, and let them chill in the fridge.
Roll with care
When you’re ready to roll your dough, work from its initial shape and be careful not to touch it too much. Start with smaller rolling motions in the middle of the disc and work your way out. If you spot any cracks, pinch them together.
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Prepare your dough for baking
You don’t need to grease your pan because the butter in the crust will melt and coat it for you. Olson likes to dust her pan with a bit of flour, though, as it helps lift the finished product out of the pan when serving.
Use your rolling pin to place the dough over the pan, then crimp the outside edges to lock the pastry to the edge of the pie plate as it bakes. Pierce the bottom with a fork several times so it doesn’t bubble. Once it’s ready to go, chill it in the fridge to set it.
Related: Anna Olson’s Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
Do a blind filling
To achieve the perfect pie shape, you’ll want to bake it with a blind pie filling first. To do so, place a piece of parchment over the crust and fill it with dried beans or raw rice. This will help the crust maintain its shape. After about 20 minutes, you can remove the blind filling and return the crust to the oven to finish the bake.
Don’t forget to decorate
While taste is important, remember we eat with our eyes first. That’s why Olson likes to create pie art to adorn her pies. She rolls out a thinner crust layer and cuts shapes or creates rosettes, like in the video above. Have fun with it, and treat it like modelling clay to get into the spirit.
Olson then adds colour to the dough (you can do so before or after the bake) for a perfectly pretty finish and one of the most memorable pies you’ll ever eat. Enjoy!