Everything you've always wanted to know about pie crust but were too afraid to ask

Tackling shrinkage, slumping, cracking, sticky dough, and more

Before I dive into today’s post, I want to show you a photo of what my pies used to look like just a few years ago:

This pie c. 2020 featured a crust that was decently flaky but was slumped, shrunken, and generally not as attractive as it could have been.

Fast-forward several years and many pies later and these days my pies are pretty consistently looking like this:

Perhaps the best looking pie I’ve ever made (Concord Grape Pie from The Pie and Pastry Bible). Look at that crusty!

I’ve made a lot of pie crusts in my life, but only after many, many less-than-ideal attempts have I finally come to understand some key factors behind consistently great pie crust that’s tender yet flaky, rolls easily, and crimps beautifully, with no soggy bottoms to be found.