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When you’re craving pie for two, bake up this buttery, flaky Small Pie Crust for a 6 inch pie pan. Made with both butter and shortening, this is the only pie dough recipe you’ll need for small batch baking. Step by step photos included.
Every year I look through my Thanksgiving For Two and Christmas For Two menus to see what I’m missing. First thing I noticed – I don’t have a traditional pumpkin pie recipe. Sure I have Mini Pumpkin Pie and Eggless Pumpkin Pie, even Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes, but no straight-up pumpkin pie. And since this is a dessert for two blog, I knew I had to make a small pie recipe ASAP. I decided to split the small pie crust and small pumpkin pie recipes into two posts. Check out my small pumpkin pie recipe for the second part. Not only will you be using this small batch pie crust over and over for future small pie recipes, this post is already super long and I’m not even talking about pumpkin pie. So here it is – a buttery, flaky Small Pie Crust for a 6 inch pie pan. Made with both butter and shortening, this is the only pie dough recipe you’ll need for small batch baking. As mentioned, this post is really long and packed full of useful info. I didn’t even know I had this much knowledge about pie baking until I wrote it all down. If you find yourself struggling to make the best pie crust, you will want to read every section. However, if you’re experienced or simply want the recipe ASAP, you can use the “Jump To Recipe” button at the top of this post.
Pie Crust IngredientsThe first step in making the best small pie crust starts with your ingredients. To make a homemade pie crust from scratch, you will need these 6 ingredients:
Pie Crust EquipmentBefore you get started making your pie crust, here is some equipment you will need:
Where to buy a 6 inch pie plateI bought my 6 inch pie pan online. There weren’t many options I liked, so I opted for this 6 inch glass pie plate (Amazon affiliate link). Please note – cold glass cannot be put directly onto a hot oven rack or hot baking sheet. It will shatter if you do this. In order to transfer it from the fridge to the oven, place your glass plate onto a room temperature baking sheet. Can you use disposable pie pans?Yes, you can also use 6 inch disposable pie pans. I tested my mini pie crust in these aluminum foil mini pie pans online (Amazon affiliate link). I found they aren’t as deep as the glass pie plate, so you’ll have extra dough and filling. That means you can make a second mini pie in a ramekin to bake alongside your small pie. Do you need a pie dish to make a pie?Although using a pie dish is the easiest way to serve your pie, you can also make your small pie crust in a 6 inch cake pan or 6 inch springform pan (Amazon affiliate links). With the springform pan, you can remove the pan side and slice your pie as normal. However, with the cake pan I found it a little challenging to cut and serve your pie. Because most pies are delicate, you can’t invert the pan like you would with a cake. Instead, you may need to remove the pie one slice at a time. How many does a 6 inch pie serve?A 6 inch pie can be cut into 4-6 slices, which is an ideal dessert for two. The slices are much smaller than the average pie slice because they aren’t as long.
How To Make A Small Pie CrustThe easiest way to make a small pie crust is to use a food processor because all you do is dump and pulse. First, add your flour, sugar, and salt to the bowl. Pulse 1-2 times to mix it together. Bonus – you can also add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder to make a chocolate pie crust like you see with my German Chocolate Pecan Pie.
Next, add your cold butter and shortening to your bowl. It’s important your fat is super cold or your dough is going to get soft and sticky. I personally keep a stick of shortening in the freezer since I mostly only use it for dough. Butter I’ll freeze if I remember, but I’ve used it straight from the fridge and it stays cold enough. Pulse until the fat is cut into the flour and looks like little pebbles.
Now it’s time to add cold water. Once again, you want to work with cold ingredients so your dough doesn’t get too warm. Pulse until a dough forms. If it still looks crumbly, give it another minute or so to come together. If it’s really dry, you can add a teaspoon of water, but you don’t want to add too much because then the dough will puff too much in the oven.
Next, gather your dough and place on a sheet of plastic wrap. If you don’t have plastic wrap, use a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the dough together then form a round disk. Cover the top with another sheet of plastic wrap then refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Can you substitute butter for shortening?Yes, you can substitute an equal amount of butter for shortening. Please note your pie crust won’t be as flaky without the shortening.
How To Roll Out Pie Dough Without StickingAfter your dough has chilled for an hour, it’s time to roll it out! I personally keep it between the plastic wrap while I roll. It doesn’t stick to my rolling pin and the plastic wrap peels off easily. Win win. Plus if it does start sticking, you can easily put it back in the fridge without having to scrape it off the counter. If you don’t want to do that, make sure your surface and rolling pin are lightly floured. For a 6 inch pie plate, roll your dough out to about 7-8 inches wide, roughly between 1/8 – 1/4 inch thickness. This gives you enough dough to cover the plate as well as a little extra to flute your crust. You may have to trim off excess dough, especially if you’re making it in a disposable pan. Poke your dough with a fork to allow steam to escape then place it back in the fridge to chill at least 30 minutes. At this point, you can preheat your oven.
How To Blind Bake Your Pie CrustWhat is blind baking, you ask? Blind baking is when you bake the pie crust on its own without any filling inside. There are two reasons to do this:
Before blind baking your crust, line it with lightly greased foil, covering the pie edges as much as possible, then fill it with pie weights. This helps prevent the crust from puffing and browning too much. Bake with the foil for 15 minutes then remove the foil. Bake another 5 minutes or until the bottom no longer looks wet. At this point, you need to check your pie recipe. If you’re going to bake it with filling, you’re done for now. However, if you’re fully baking your crust, bake for another 15 minutes or until golden brown and done.
Can you make small pie crust ahead of time?Yes, you can blind bake your pie crust up to 3 days ahead of use. Wrap carefully in plastic wrap then refrigerate until ready to use. Can you freeze small pie crust ahead of time?Yes, you can freeze your small pie crust ahead of time. There are three ways to do this:
Whichever method you prefer, wrap thoroughly in plastic wrap, place in a freezer-safe plastic bag, and freeze for up to 6 months. If you’re worried about your crust getting ruined, you can place the plastic bag in a container to protect it. If you freeze your pie crust inside your pie pan, place your pan on a room temperature baking sheet before transferring to the oven. Cold glass cannot be put directly onto a hot oven rack or hot baking sheet because the sudden change in temperature will shatter it.
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchase. How long does a pie take to bake at 350?Place the pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet (to catch any drips), and put the pie and baking sheet onto the lowest rack of your oven. Bake the pie for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 60 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.
How many does a 6 inch pie serve?How many does a 6 inch pie serve? A 6 inch pie can be cut into 4-6 slices, which is an ideal dessert for two.
What temperature do you cook a homemade pie at?Bake: Place pie on oven rack centered over the baking sheet on the rack below it to catch any drippings. Bake the pie at 375°F until crust begins to lightly brown, about 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F.
Is a 6 inch pie half of a 9A 6-inch pie is almost exactly half the size of a 9-inch pie, so it makes 4 generous slices or 6 smaller ones and is the perfect size for a couple of people to enjoy over a weekend.
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