Patty cake pie crust is a game-changer. I love pie, any flavor of pie. Just gimme some pie, man! But whoever coined the expression "easy as pie" had never actually made a pie crust the hard way.
There isn't a traditional pie crust recipe you could honestly describe as easy. They involve ice water, chilling, wrapping, rolling, freezing, pie weights, or a food processor. None of that is easy in my book. If you enjoy doing these things, by all means, have a blast.
One day, I cruised through Pinterest, searching for an "easy" pie crust made with butter, and not one recipe looked easy. While we're on the subject of Pinterest, I think there should be a unique word for searching Pinterest, don't you? It's such a time-sucking activity! Pin-diving? Pindulging?
There should be a word for it because a "quick look" through Pinterest is impossible. There's too much to see, and it's all fascinating. It's like eating potato chips; you can't stop unless the smoke alarm goes off or someone is bleeding!
But when I say easy, I mean one bowl, one spoon, and absolutely no hassle. I do love a crisp, tasty crust. I found an incredibly easy way to do it, and it's been around for YEARS!
Many folks swear by the convenience and quality of a no-roll pie crust made with vegetable oil. Patty cake pie crust is also a plus for the diet-conscious.
This crust has no cholesterol or trans fats, and that means it's also vegan. If the idea of using a rolling pin gives you the willies, this recipe is perfect for you.
All-purpose flour is best for this crust. You can use any neutral-flavored vegetable oil you like: canola, safflower, coconut, sunflower, or even olive oil.
If you like, you can use melted butter instead of the oil and have similar results. The crust will have a wonderful golden color and buttery flavor. It will no longer be vegan, but if that's not an issue, use butter!
One of my favorite products to use in patty cake pie crust is Whirl Butter Flavored Oil. Currently, it's only available in gallon-sized jugs, but it has dozens of uses in frying, cooking, and baking. It has a very long shelf life, and you can use it instead of butter and save a lot of money.
The advantage of oil in a pie crust is that the fat is a liquid, so it blends easily with flour and other ingredients. Salt adds flavor to the crust and complements sweet and savory fillings, and the small amount of powdered sugar enhances browning.
When this pie crust recipe first appeared, it was called Pat In Pan Oil Pie Crust. Later on, it became known as a no-roll pie crust. Whatever the name, it's about as stress-free as any pie crust you'll ever make. In fact, I think it's one of the best-kept secrets in baking!
Once you've mixed the ingredients, put the ball of patty cake pie dough into a pie plate, then press and pat it into place with your hands or the back of a spoon. Bring up the edges a bit and flute with your fingers, or crimp the edges with a fork.
When making a cream pie, prick the crust all over with a fork to avoid shrinking. I have had great results in blind baking patty cake pie crust without parchment paper, pie weights, or any other hullaballoo. The edges stand up nice and tall.
If you are making a fruit pie or a custard pie, don't prink the crust; pour the filling right into the unbaked crust and bake the pie according to the specific pie recipe. A custard pie is often baked at a high temperature for about 15 minutes, then turned to a lower temperature to finish baking.
If you want to bake a double-crust pie using this recipe, increase the amounts of all ingredients by half. Use two-thirds of the dough in the pan for the bottom crust.
Work about two tablespoons of sugar into the remaining dough. Then, tear that part of the dough into little pieces and arrange them on top of the filling. The pieces will bake together, crisp up, and form a streusel-like top crust.
PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD
Super easy, flaky pie crust you pat in place with your fingers! No cold butter, no messing with a rolling pin!
Pie is by far my favorite kind of baked good; I could go without cake forever if you keep me fed with pie! I love any pie, but here are two of our favorites! Lemon Pie and Coconut Pie. I almost forgot another top hit: Sour Cream Raisin Pie!
If you liked this recipe, you are my people! If you like this recipe, please share it on your social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter! It would sure tickle me, and I would be ever so grateful!
If you haven't already, please look for me on Facebook and Pinterest, where I will share easy, delicious, family-friendly recipes every week!
Love, GB (Betty Streff)
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Rolling out a pie crust is a skill, learn that. Kneading bread is a skill, learn that. These are skills that let our hands work with our brains which releases endorphins into our systems. Learn that.
Jacelyn, you are right. I'm 72 years old and I have made pie crusts with lard, made bread entirely by hand, canned meat, made 14 day pickles, grown a garden, in fact, it was all with joy. I still cook from scratch but I do want people to learn new ways to do things rather than totally abandon them or rely entirely on take out and ready made everything. I think it's also good to embrace new ideas. If I had my life to live over I would not want to miss out on the old ways. Thanks for taking time to communicate- it is so appreciated.