Pie dough
The first pies were probably made by early humans who used whatever they could find to make a crust to hold their fillings. Early pies were more likely to be savory than sweet, and were often made by filling a crust with meat, vegetables, or fruit.
The first recorded recipe for pie dough was in a 13th century English cookbook, and it called for flour, water, and salt to be mixed together and then rolled out. This dough was then used to make a savory meat pie.
Sweet pies were not common until the 16th century, when sugar became more widely available. The first recipes for sweet pies usually just called for a crust and a filling made with sugar, but over time, pies evolved to include other ingredients like eggs, butter, and cream.
Advice
Making a good pie dough starts with the ingredients - make sure to use cold, unsalted butter, and to use the right amount of water. When adding the water, add it slowly and mix it in slowly as well. Once the dough is mixed together, knead it only briefly, then wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour to give the gluten time to relax. When you are ready to roll out the dough, sprinkle some flour onto your work surface and rolling pin to prevent sticking. Roll the dough out from the center, turning it as you go and adding more flour if necessary. Finally, transfer the dough to your pie plate, crimp it and you are ready to fill your delicious pie.
Jump to: Ingredient Breakdown Insights
Recipes
Foolproof Pie Dough
- salt
- butter
- solid vegetable shortening
- water
- vodka
- sugar
- all purpose flour
Easy Pie Dough Recipe
- salt
- sugar
- all purpose flour
- butter
- water
Whole-Wheat Pie Dough
- all purpose flour
- wheat flour
- french butter plugrá
- salt
- water
Cook's Illustrated's Foolproof Pie Dough Recipe
- salt
- vegetable shortening
- butter
- vodka
- water
- sugar
- all purpose flour
All-Butter Pie Dough
- butter
- salt
- apple cider vinegar
- all purpose flour
All-Butter Easy Pie Dough
- butter
- sugar
- lemon juice
- salt
- ice water
- all purpose flour
Double Crust 10-Inch Pie Dough
- shortening
- salt
- all purpose flour
- ice water
All-Purpose Pie Dough
- apple cider vinegar
- butter
- sugar
- all purpose flour
- salt
Basic Pie Dough
- apple cider vinegar mixing ice water
- sugar
- salt
- butter
- all purpose flour
- vegetable shortening
Basic Pie Dough
- salt
- ice water
- all purpose flour
- butter
Basic Pie Dough
- apple cider vinegar
- salt
- butter
- sugar
- all purpose flour
- vegetable shortening
Sister Pie All-Butter Pie Dough
- water
- ice
- butter
- butter
- apple cider vinegar
- sugar
- salt
- all purpose flour
Flaky Butter Pie Dough
- sugar
- salt
- butter
- all purpose flour
- ice water
Simple Gluten-Free Pie Dough
- baking powder
- baking soda
- cornstarch
- tartar cream
- salt
- white rice flour
- egg
- confectioners sugar
- shortening
Whole Grain Vegan Pie Dough
- vegan shortening
- salt
- lemon zest
- oat flour
- potato starch
- buckwheat flour
- brown rice flour
- powdered agar agar
- vanilla extract
- sugar
- tapioca starch
Ingredient Breakdown
Insights
Common Ingredients
- all purpose flour 53%
- salt 53%
Usual Ingredients
- butter 40%
Rarey Ingredients
- sugar 33%