Apple Cider Vinegar Pie Crust
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If you’re making it homemade, this Apple Cider Vinegar Pie Crust is the ultimate that captured our heart and to which no other compares. All butter delivers the must-have tender, flaky texture, and the hint of vinegar adds a subtly irresistible tang to perfectly complement all the pie fillings you love.
Finally, a pie crust worth the work.
I’ll be honest, I don’t love making pie. When I reflect on this, I think of my friend Melissa, who is a wonder woman in general and counts exceptional pie-making among her many skills. I want to be like Melissa, and so a couple years ago I started to break down why I find pie so stressful.
Answer? The dang crust. Maybe I’ve just been overly conditioned by the magazines and celebrity chefs of the world to think my crust has to come out ultra gorgeous and glossy each time to have worth. But my homemade crusts would so frequently sag, collapse, or just generally fall short that I came to dread the whole thing.
Things began to look up after another friend, Stephanie, gifted me the Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book. This book is full of exceptional recipes from an exceptional Brooklyn pie shop, and makes a terrific gift. Their signature all-butter, apple cider vinegar-infused pie crust has such a delightful flavor and is the only one we crave now.
Pie crust: a journey
Finding the recipe for apple cider vinegar pie crust was only half of my personal pie battle. Even with Four and Twenty Blackbird’s masterful crust in the fridge, I still struggled to coax it through a full bake looking halfway decent, especially for a blind baked pie.
One year, we had the good fortune to attend Thanksgiving at a friend’s house, and I committed to bringing all the dessert, meaning I had high stakes for pie production, but plenty of time to focus on it. In the four days before Thanksgiving, I think I literally made twelve pies, out of sheer force of will to get this right — and have at least four beautiful ones to bring to the gathering.
By the end of that, I finally felt confident in my pie crust handling abilities, and as confident as ever in the delicious apple cider vinegar crust at the core.
To capture my excitement at this point, you need to know I was so hyped I wanted to create an entire second blog dedicated to pie. I even registered a domain on Thanksgiving night. Insane, right!?
You can guess what happened next. My son, who of course ate next to nothing for Thanksgiving dinner, ate so much pie that he woke up violently ill in the middle of the night, lost it all, and has since sworn off pie of all kinds. The ultimate face palm.
Tips and Tricks for Homemade Pie Crust
Here is every important tip and trick I have collected for perfect pie crust handling at home.
- Add just enough water to the dough. You really want to add water to the pie crust dough just a few droplets at a time, and stop as soon as it holds together with some aggressive pressing.
- Mix the dough just enough. This is a pretty common tip, but it is important — don’t over-mix pie crust. It should not actually have an even appearance. You want visible chunks of butter that will melt when it bakes and create tender, flaky layers.
- Chill at every step. A cold pie crust is a happy pie crust, both because it’s easier to work with and because it lets those butter pockets stay intact until you want them to melt in the oven.
- ROLL OUT WITH CARE. Of all the tips and changes I made to improve my pie crust game, I truly believe this is the most important! An over-stretched pie crust absolutely will bounce back when it bakes, often leading to an unsightly collapse or shrinkage. Roll the crust gently and only in one direction out from the center at one time — not back and forth or with heavy pressure. Keep the dough pretty thick, and do not stretch it at all to fit the pan.
- Don’t skip the egg wash. Brushing a simple wash of one egg mixed with a couple teaspoons of milk, cream, or water is the simple secret to getting that glossy finish while it bakes.
Favorite Pie Crust Equipment:
- Quality Rolling Pin
- Easy Wash Silicone Pastry Mat
- Easy Read Liquid Measuring Cup
- Pastry and Dough Blender (for cutting in the butter)
- Pastry Brush (for adding an egg wash)
- Pie Weights (for blind baking — don’t skimp on these. They should fill the crust all the way to the top. I use three sets for most pies.)
- Pie Shield (to cover the crust if it’s brown before the filling is cooked through.)
How To Make Pie Crust Leaves
For an extra festive touch, it’s super fun and easy to use any extra dough to make tiny pie crust cookies! This cookie cutter set includes miniature pumpkins, leaves, and acorns for decorating Thanksgiving pies, as well as a miniature apple which is so cute on top of either pie or an old-fashioned apple crisp.
Just roll out the pie crust — carefully, of course! — cut into shapes, and transfer to a lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with an egg wash, then bake for 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees F, until they are crisp and golden on top. Cool and use as desired.
Favorite Pie Recipes
If you try this Apple Cider Vinegar Pie Crust, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. I love hearing how recipes turn out in your kitchen, and it helps other readers, too.
You can also FOLLOW me on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM, and FACEBOOK for more great recipes and ideas!
Apple Cider Vinegar Pie Crust
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup ice
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons granulated white sugar
- 8 Tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2” pieces
Instructions
- Note: This yields crust for one single-crust pie and can be easily doubled for multiple pies or for a pie that will have a lattice or decorated crust top.
- Combine ice, water, and apple cider vinegar in a large measuring cup. Set in the refrigerator while you prep the flour-butter mixture.
- Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and stir briefly to mix. Add the butter pieces and stir briefly to coat them with the flour mixture.
- Use a pastry blender if you have one to cut the butter into the flour mixture so that you wind up with mostly pea-sized pieces of butter. (Some larger chunks of butter are OK; it’s most important not to mix too much. If you don’t have a pastry blender, literally cut the butter into the flour mixture using two table knives.)
- Remove the ice water from the fridge and add 1/4 cup to the butter-flour mixture. Mix and cut it in with the pastry blender until fully incorporated, then add more of the ice water mixture to the dough, just 1-2 Tablespoons at a time, until the dough can be pressed together into a ball. It’s OK to have a few dry bits remaining. Just dampen your fingers and lightly press those dry bits into the dough. (You can do this in the same bowl you initially used to cut in the butter, or turn out the dough onto a pastry mat, whichever you find easier.)
- Shape the dough into a disc and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. (If making multiple crusts at once, portion into and wrap as individual discs at this point.) Refrigerate for at least an hour, ideally overnight, to let the tang mellow.
- Wrapped pie crust dough can keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. If freezing, double wrap and store flat.
- When ready to bake the crust, roll it out with care, pressing gently and in only one direction from the center at a time (as opposed to rolling back and forth, back and forth). Let the crust stay relatively thick and do not stretch it at all to fit the pan.
- After filling the crust, brush a light wash of one egg mixed with 2 teaspoons of milk, cream, or water on the exposed crust to ensure it develops a golden, glossy finish while it bakes.
- Bake as directed in pie recipe of your choice. Enjoy!
Notes
- Recipe from and technique adapted lightly from the Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book. This book is full of exceptional recipes from an exceptional Brooklyn pie shop and makes a terrific gift.
