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Christine Gallary
Christine GallaryFood Editor-at-Large
Christine graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, and she has worked at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW.com. She lives in San Francisco and loves teaching cooking classes. Follow her latest culinary escapades on Instagram.
published Sep 28, 2021
summer
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This pie crust recipe makes enough dough to line deep-dish pie plates for quiches and pies.
Makes2 (12-ounce) single crustsPrep10 minutes to 20 minutesreviews
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There are numerous techniques for making pie dough, but pulling out a pie plate and lining it with dough is straightforward, right? Not so fast. Many times, pie recipes leave out some pretty important details as to the right-sized pie dish and the amount of dough you need to line it with.
A standard pie dough recipe baked in a deep-dish pie plate will barely reach up the sides, leaving you with nothing to work with if you want to do a pretty crimp around the edges. But too much pie dough baked in a standard pie plate will be too thick, and might not cook through. Plus, the right-sized pie dish could mean the difference in having the right amount, too much, or not enough filling. This is why a deep-dish pie crust recipe needs to exist — and I’m here to help.
What Does Deep-Dish Pie Crust Mean?
A deep-dish pie crust is deeper than a standard pie crust. It holds more filling and is usually reserved for quiches and sometimes apple pies, where you want a bigger ratio of filling to crust. To make a deep-dish pie, you need more of everything: a deeper pie plate, more crust, and more filling, not to mention probably more baking time.
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What Size Is a Deep-Dish Pie Crust?
A deep-dish pie plate is 9 1/2 to 10 inches wide and around 2 inches deep; a regular pie plate is smaller, at about 9 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches deep. Because of its larger size, you need more pie dough to be able to cover the bottom and sides of the pie dish.
How Many Cups Does a Deep Dish Pie Crust Hold?
A deep-dish pie crust can hold about seven cups of filling, which is about two more cups than a regular pie crust. You can fill a pie crust above the edge of the pie plate if you’re starting with fresh fruit, as that tends to sink down as it cooks (but make sure to put a baking sheet under the pie plate to catch any drips!), but if you have a custard or egg filling, make sure to stop a little below the top of the pie plate.
How to Make a Deep-Dish Pie Crust
Making a deep-dish pie crust is exactly the same as making a regular pie crust: You just make more of it. This recipe makes two (12-ounce) pie doughs —one is enough to cover a deep-dish pie plate with a 1/4-inch-thick crust (with a little extra so you can crimp the edges), and the other can be used to create a double crust.
- Blitz the flour and salt together in a food processor.
- Cut cold butter into cubes and blitz half of it into the flour. Process only half of the butter into the flour first until it’s chopped down to pea-sized pieces.
- Process in ice water and the remaining butter. Drizzle in ice water and process in the remaining butter. Processing the rest of the butter later helps to leave it in larger pieces, which makes for a flakier crust.
- Chill the dough before rolling out. Chilling the dough gives it time to fully hydrate and makes rolling it out easier. You can also keep the dough chilled for a few days or frozen if you want to make it ahead. Roll out the dough to about 1/4-inch thick and use it to line the pie plate.
Using a Deep-Dish Pie Crust
Here are some of my favorite ways to use a deep dish pie crust.
- Deep-Dish Pumpkin Meringue Pie
- Asparagus Quiche
- Easy Pumpkin Pie
Deep-Dish Pie Crust Recipe
This pie crust recipe makes enough dough to line deep-dish pie plates for quiches and pies.
Prep time 10 minutes to 20 minutes
Makes 2 (12-ounce) single crusts
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 2 sticks
(8 ounces) cold unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup
ice water
- 2 1/2 cups
all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 tablespoon
granulated sugar (optional)
- 2 teaspoons
kosher salt
Instructions
Make the dough:
Cut 2 sticks cold unsalted butter into 1/2-inch cubes and refrigerate. Place a few ice cubes in a liquid measuring cup and fill with cold water.
Method 1: Food processor. Place 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar if desired, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse a few times to combine. Scatter half of the butter cubes over the flour. Pulse until the butter is cut into pieces no larger than a pea, about 10 (1-second) pulses.
Remove the ice cubes from the cold water and pour out the excess water until you have 1/2 cup left. Drizzle the 1/2 cup water over the butter-flour mixture. Scatter the remaining butter cubes over the water-flour mixture. Pulse until the dough forms very small lumps about the size of a peppercorn, 8 to 10 (1-second) pulses. At this point, the dough should hold together and feel tacky when squeezed.
Method 2: Making dough by hand. If making the dough by hand, whisk 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar if desired, and 2 teaspoons kosher salt together in a large bowl. Scatter all the butter over the flour and toss with your hands to separate and coat the cubes. Cut the butter with a pastry cutter or two small knives into pieces no larger than a pea. Drizzle with 1/2 cup ice water and stir and fluff the flour mixture with a fork until the dough is evenly moistened and shaggy.
Divide and roll out the dough:
Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. Divide the dough into two piles (about 12 ounces each). Use the palm of your hand to quickly gather and press each mound into a thick disk about 4 inches wide. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 days (or freeze for up to 3 months; thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using).
Let the dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling out. Unwrap 1 of the disks and place on a work surface dusted lightly with all-purpose flour. Sprinkle a rolling pin with flour. Working from the middle of the dough outwards, roll the dough into a 13-inch round about 1/8-inch thick. If the dough cracks when you first start rolling, let it stand for one minute to warm slightly before rolling again. Use more flour if the dough starts to stick. Use a bench scraper to lift the pastry from the work surface occasionally and make sure it's not sticking.
Lay your rolling pin on one edge of the pie crust and begin gently rolling the pie crust over the rolling pin. When it's all rolled up, move it to a deep-dish pie plate and gently unroll. Ease the crust into the corners of the pan.
Option 1: Single-crust pie. Trim all but an inch of dough from around the edges. Roll the edges of the dough under itself and crimp with your fingers or the tines of a fork. The crust is now ready to be blind baked (step-by-step instructions here) or filled and baked.
Option 2: Top or lattice crust. Roll out the second pie dough into a 12-inch round. Fill the pie, then top with the second crust or lattice design (step-by-step instructions here). Press the edges together to seal, then trim all but an inch of dough from around the edges before crimping. Cut a few slits into the top of a double-crust pie for venting before baking.
Option 3: Decorative cut outs. Roll out the second pie dough into a 13-inch round. Cut out shapes as desired. Fill the pie and top with the shapes. Trim all but an inch of dough from around the edges. Roll the edges of the dough under itself and crimp with your fingers or the tines of a fork.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: The disks of dough can be made up to 4 days ahead and refrigerated. The wrapped dough can also be placed in a freezer bag and frozen for up to 3 months; thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.
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