Mini Pie Crust

5 from 4 votes

Once you try this incredibly quick, easy, and super flaky homemade mini pie crust shell, you will never want to buy those sad-looking supermarket versions! The crust bakes golden and perfectly crisp, the kind you can fill with a silky pastry cream one day and a savory quiche filling the next.

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

Resting time2

Total Time2 55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: mini pie crust shells

Calories: 275kcal

Author: Katalin Nagy

Equipment

Ingredients

Pie dough

375 g All purpose flour
270 g Unsalted butter 82% fat, use it very cold
120 g Water use it very cold
¾ teaspoon Salt

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt until fully combined, then place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.
Cut cold butter into small chunks and freeze for 5-10 minutes.
Once all ingredients are nicely chilled, add very cold butter chunks into flour and rub the mixture between your fingers until it becomes a sand-like consistency.
Add very cold water into the dough, a small amount at a time, and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon after each addition.
Start working the dough by hand. At first, it will look crumbly, but it should come together within a minute or so. No need to knead the dough; stop mixing it as soon as it comes together. Remember: leave in some butter chunks, don't overwork the dough, and don't use a mixer.
Form a disk, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
After 2 hours, take the pie dough disk out of the fridge and let it rest for a few minutes on the kitchen counter. The dough should stay cold but slightly warmed so you can roll it out without breaking it.
The easiest way is to roll the dough on or between two silicone baking mats. With the help of a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle of 42x30 cm / 16x12 inches. Alternatively, roll the dough on a lightly floured surface.
Check the size of your muffin pan holes. The dough circle's diameter should match the muffin tin hole size (from the back) as follows: 2x side + 1x bottom; in my case, it was 11 cm / 4 inches.
Using a cookie cutter, cut circles from the dough to fit your muffin pan holes.
Flip your muffin tin and slightly press down the dough on every second cavity of the tin.
Chill the dough again in the freezer for 15 minutes while preheating the oven to 370°F (200 °C).
Bake the mini pie crust in the following way: 20 minutes on the tin, then remove from the oven, carefully lift each shell off the tin using a small offset spatula and set right-side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet, brush generously with egg wash, and return to the oven for another 5 minutes, until deep golden and shiny.
Cool completely on a wire rack before filling.
Storage
Unfilled shells: store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Do not refrigerate unfilled shells. Filled shells: refrigerate and consume within the filling's shelf life. Freeze baked empty shells for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature 20 minutes before filling.

Video

Notes

INGREDIENT NOTES:

Butter must be cold, not room temperature.
Water must be ice-cold. Warm water melts the butter into the flour.
82% fat butter is the right choice here. Lower-fat butters contain more water and give a tougher result.

TECHNIQUE NOTES:

Circle formula: diameter = 2 × side height + 1 × bottom diameter. Measure your tin before cutting.
Use every other cavity on the inverted tin. This prevents the shells from touching and allows even airflow around each one.
Freeze the shaped shells for 15 minutes before baking. This resets the butter temperature and minimizes shrinkage.
Apply egg wash only after the first 20-minute bake, once the shells are off the tin and right-side up. Egg wash applied before baking will drip and burn on the tin surface.
Do not fill hot or warm shells. Cool completely first.

Nutrition