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!
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
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 or shortening 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!
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
HOW TO MAKE WHAM BAM PIE CRUST:
In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Stir in oil and water.
Mix until combined. Then form it into a ball.
Spray your pie pan with nonstick cooking spray. It’s not really necessary but I just want to doubly make sure there is no sticking and it makes this dough just a bit easier to spread in the dish.
Now, start pushing down on your ball of dough and begin spreading it towards the sides.
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.
You can even get in there with your knuckles if you need to.
This is very forgiving dough. See that little tear there where I pulled the dough a little too hard?
Just smush around the dough with your thumb or fingers. It’ll seal right back up.
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.
And then you can start to go around and crimp the top edges of the crust.
Now, this does not have to be perfect. I don’t know about you, but I like those little imperfections in baking.
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.
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?
Originally published: September 2012
Updated & republished: October 2019
Wham Bam Pie Crust (+Video)
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons water
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
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.
Nutrition
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.
