Leite's Pie Crust

By stancec44

This pie crust is revolutionary. It’s a press-in crust, with no rolling or chilling required. Plus, it’s buttery and flaky, and so easy to prepare it just may give you the courage to go forth and make a pie on a whim. You can use either granulated or light brown sugar. Both are equally delicious here.

Dried beans or pie weights can be reused time and time again. Mason jars are a great way to store them.
Close your eyes and take a nibble of this no-knead, no-roll-out pie crust and you may just mistake it for a shortbread cookie. Is that such a terrible thing? The recipe does make you work, though, seeing as you need to decide whether to use granulated or brown sugar. We tend to reach for the former with traditional fruit fillings, the latter for spiced nut or custard fillings.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated or packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 11 tablespoons unsalted butter (5 1/2 ounces), melted

Preparation

Step 1

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Slowly drizzle in the butter and stir with a fork until the mixture looks moist and crumbly.

Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. You can crimp the edges decoratively or leave them rustic.

Bake the pie crust according to your desired pie recipe. (If the recipe calls for a prebaked pie crust, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the pie crust with aluminum foil or parchment paper and fill it with dried beans or pie weights, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the foil and beans or weights and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool before filling.)