Easy, flaky Wham Bam Pie Crust recipe (2024)

Jump to Recipe

Wham Bam Pie Crust is the easiest pie crust ever! No rolling pins, no cold butter and no fuss but you still get a tender and flaky pie crust!

THE EASIEST AND FLAKIEST PIE CRUST

I like frozen pie crusts.Many of them are really good these days since many companies have really stepped up the quality of ingredients. But sometimes I want to use my own pie pans instead of the one that comes with the frozen crusts. And sometimes, that rustic look of a totally homemade pie just does something to me. I love the look of an imperfect, golden, flaky crust that has been crimped by my fingers

Easy, flaky Wham Bam Pie Crust recipe (1)

NO ROLLING PIN, NO COLD BUTTER, NO TRICKS

But I need that crust to be easy to make. This crust is perfect for any one-crust pie.Like my Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pie, Southern Pecan Pie or Strawberry Pie.Or even for savory pies like Country Tomato Bacon Pie. It’s called Wham Bam because you don’t have to worry about cutting in cold butter orshortening like you do normal pie crusts or add in super cold ice water.

TIPS FOR MAKING THE EASIEST PIE CRUST

There is no rolling out of the dough (unless you really want to.) You stir it together and push it around with your fingers into the pie pan. It takes just a bit of time to spread it all around.But keep in mind, it’s the bottom part of your pie crust, it doesn’t have to be showcase beautiful. It’s very forgiving. But it’s also tender and flaky and bakes up to a beautiful golden color. Also, if you can find it, use White Lily brand flour. It is amazing in baked goods!

Easy, flaky Wham Bam Pie Crust recipe (2)

INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)

  • all-purpose flour – I prefer White Lily brand flour – it will always be my favorite but I know it’s not easy to find outside of the the southern United States so just go with your personal favorite here – also, you cannot use self-rising flour in this recipe
  • salt – this gives it a bit of flavor without tasting salty and works well with sweet pies
  • vegetable oil – it seems like a strange ingredient in pie crust, you’d expect butter or shortening right? But trust me, it absolutely works! I have not used other oils but you want to use an oil with a neutral flavor because you don’t want to taste the oil in the pie crust
Easy, flaky Wham Bam Pie Crust recipe (3)

HOW TO MAKE WHAM BAM PIE CRUST:

In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt.Stir in oil and water.

Easy, flaky Wham Bam Pie Crust recipe (4)

Mix until combined.Then form it into a ball.

Easy, flaky Wham Bam Pie Crust recipe (5)

Spray your pie pan with nonstick cooking spray.It’s not really necessary butI just want to doubly make sure there is no sticking and it makes this dough just a bit easier to spread in the dish.

Easy, flaky Wham Bam Pie Crust recipe (6)

Now, start pushing down on your ball of dough and begin spreading it towards the sides.

Easy, flaky Wham Bam Pie Crust recipe (7)

Do as best as you can to evenly pull it up the sides.You’ll want plenty of dough up the sides too so you can crimp it at the top edge.

Easy, flaky Wham Bam Pie Crust recipe (8)

You can even get in there with your knuckles if you need to.

Easy, flaky Wham Bam Pie Crust recipe (9)

This is very forgiving dough.See that little tear there where I pulled the dough a little too hard?

Easy, flaky Wham Bam Pie Crust recipe (10)

Just smush around the dough with your thumb or fingers.It’ll seal right back up.

Easy, flaky Wham Bam Pie Crust recipe (11)

Make sure you also press down into the bottom rim of the pan too to spread out the dough and so it’s not too thick.

Easy, flaky Wham Bam Pie Crust recipe (12)

And then you can start to go around and crimp the top edges of the crust.

Easy, flaky Wham Bam Pie Crust recipe (13)

Now, this does not have to be perfect.I don’t know about you, but I like those little imperfections in baking.

Easy, flaky Wham Bam Pie Crust recipe (14)

It lets folks know you made this all yourself.It’s rustic and it’s homemade. It should look that way. It bakes up beautifully golden and tender and flaky.It makes the perfect base for any of your one crust pies.And even the least-experienced of bakers can manage this easy and forgiving crust.

Easy, flaky Wham Bam Pie Crust recipe (15)

TO PRE-BAKE:Poke crust with a fork, all over the inside of the crust (so it doesn’t puff up too much while baking). Or if you have beans, you can line your crust on top with foil and then put beans inside to weigh it down to keep it from puffing up. Then bake at 400F degrees for about 10-15 minutes (maybe a tad longer). It should be golden in color.

CRAVING MORE RECIPES?

  • Butter Crumble Apple Pie
  • Grammie’s Swedish Apple Pie
  • Apple Slab Pie
  • Blueberry Pie
  • Crock Pot Pecan Pie

Originally published: September 2012
Updated & republished: October 2019

Easy, flaky Wham Bam Pie Crust recipe (16)

Wham Bam Pie Crust (+Video)

Wham Bam Pie Crust is the easiest pie crust ever! No rolling pins, no cold butter and no fuss but you still get a tender and flaky pie crust!

4.93 from 70 votes

Print Pin Rate Save

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Author: Brandie @ The Country Cook

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt.

  • Stir in oil and water. Mix until combined.

  • Then form it into a ball. It will be thick.

  • Spray a standard pie pan with nonstick cooking spray. Put the ball of dough in the middle of your pie dish.

  • Start pushing down on the dough ball and begin spreading it towards the sides. Do as best as you can to evenly pull it up the sides. This will take a few minutes

  • You'll want plenty of dough up the sides too so you can crimp it at the top edge. You can even get in there with your knuckles if you need to.

  • Make sure you also press down into the bottom rim of the pan too to spread out the dough and so it’s not too thick.

  • Then you can start to go around and crimp the top edges of the crust.

  • Once it’s ready, fill with your favorite filling and bake according to your pie recipe directions.

Video

Easy, flaky Wham Bam Pie Crust recipe (17)

Notes

  • If you are using this crust in a recipe that calls for a pre-baked pie crust. Before baking, just make sure you use a fork and prick lots of little holes all over the crust. This will keep the crust from puffing up too much while baking.
  • Remember, this does not have to be perfect. It’s a bottom-only pie crust.
    It’s rustic and it’s homemade. It should look that way.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 18g | Sodium: 194mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

Did you make this recipe?Share it on Instagram @thecountrycook and mention us #thecountrycook!

Related Posts:

  • Southern Pecan Pie (+Video)
  • Butter Crumble Apple Pie (+Video)
  • Pie Crust Cinnamon Rolls
  • Homemade White Cake
Easy, flaky Wham Bam Pie Crust recipe (2024)

FAQs

What causes a pie crust to be flaky? ›

While butter, shortening, or lard make equally light and tender crusts, an all-butter crust will be flakier due to butter's higher water content: as the crust bakes the butter melts and its water turns to steam, creating thin, crisp layers (flakes).

How do I make my bottom pie crust flaky? ›

Put the Pie on a Hot Cookie Sheet

As pie crust heats up, the butter in the crust melts and the water in the butter turns to steam, creating the flaky layers we know and love. Before you start assembling the pie, put a cookie sheet in the oven and preheat it at whatever temperature you plan to bake the pie.

What is the best flour to use in a flaky pie crust? ›

What kind of flour makes the best pie crust? Well, not high-protein bread flour! Use that for your chewy bagels. What you want for pie is flour that yields a tender, flaky crust, which means medium-protein all-purpose flour or low-protein pastry flour.

What are the six ways to ensure a tender flaky pie crust? ›

7 pie crust tips for tender, flaky results every time
  1. 1Keep the dough ingredients cool.
  2. 2Use a light touch.
  3. 3Hydrate the dough (but not too much)
  4. 4Chill the dough.
  5. 5Keep the dough from sticking.
  6. 6Roll the dough out evenly.
  7. 7Relax.
Nov 4, 2022

What is one thing you should not do when making pie crust? ›

The Most Common Pie Crust Mistakes (And Ways To Avoid Them)
  1. The ingredients are too warm. ...
  2. The pie dough is overworked from excessive mixing or rolling. ...
  3. The pie dough isn't given enough time to relax and chill. ...
  4. The pie dough is shrinking down the sides of the pan.
Oct 18, 2022

What does adding vinegar to your pie crust do? ›

Apple cider vinegar is added to relax the gluten proteins in your dough and tenderize it. You can also substitute it with an equal amount of white vinegar. Cold Water: For pie crusts that are flaky, cold water is a must.

Should I bake the bottom pie crust first? ›

But the one surefire way to make certain your pie's crust will be golden brown, crisp, and delicious — just as appealing as its filling — is to prebake it. That's right: bake the bottom crust first, before adding the filling.

Should you poke holes in bottom of pie crust? ›

With docking, the holes allow steam to escape, so the crust should stay flat against the baking dish when it isn't held down by pie weights or a filling. Otherwise the crust can puff up, not only impacting appearance but also leaving you with less space for whatever filling you have planned.

What is the number 2 most important thing when making pie crust? ›

I like to use pastry flour because it contains less gluten than all-purpose flour and therefore creates a more tender crust, but all-purpose flour will work just fine if that's what you have on hand. The “2” is fat. Butter is the most common type of fat used, but other solid fats will work as well.

Which makes a flakier pie crust butter or shortening? ›

Shortening is better at crumbly crust, butter is better at flaky. But you can get either from both. There are obvious differences in flavor, and butter can give you a very nice chewiness in a crust while still being tender.

Can you put flaky pastry on the bottom of a pie? ›

It might sound a little strange using puff pastry for the base of the pie (since all the puffiness is going to be squashed down with pie filling), but it works, and it saves the effort of using a different type of pastry for the base.

Is pie crust better with shortening or butter? ›

This time, though, there was one very clear victor. Butter made a tastier, flakier, sturdier crust by far. This isn't to say that shortening and lard aren't useful ingredients. Shortening is a great way to get incredibly tender desserts.

How long should you chill pie dough before rolling out? ›

Right: The same dough after it's been gently rolled over with a pin.
  1. I always roll out my dough between two sheets of lightly floured plastic wrap. ...
  2. I always chill my dough for at least 2 hours before rolling out, and then chill again for at least 1 hour after shaping in the pie pan.
Nov 21, 2023

What is the secret to a great pie crust? ›

Cold butter is the key to flaky crusts. Do not skip this step. You must put your butter in the freezer to get it nice and cold. Many people do not like working with frozen butter, but it makes all the difference in the world when you create your pie dough.

What would cause a pie crust to be flaky and not tender vs tender and not flaky? ›

Cold fat helps create layers in the crust, resulting in flakiness. Don't Overwork the Dough: Handle the dough gently and avoid overmixing. Overworking the dough can develop gluten and lead to a tough crust. Choose the Right Fat: Butter and shortening both work well.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Nathanael Baumbach

Last Updated:

Views: 6567

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (75 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Nathanael Baumbach

Birthday: 1998-12-02

Address: Apt. 829 751 Glover View, West Orlando, IN 22436

Phone: +901025288581

Job: Internal IT Coordinator

Hobby: Gunsmithing, Motor sports, Flying, Skiing, Hooping, Lego building, Ice skating

Introduction: My name is Nathanael Baumbach, I am a fantastic, nice, victorious, brave, healthy, cute, glorious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.