Why chilled pie dough is the secret to flaky, easy-to-roll crusts every time.
Chill Your Pie Dough – Here’s Why
It must be pie season, because my inbox has been full of pie questions lately. Some are one-offs, but the one that keeps popping up is this:
“Why do I have to chill my pie dough before I roll it out. After I chill it, it’s too hard to work with?”
I get it. Chilling dough can feel like a total time suck when you’re in holiday mode. You mix it, you wait an hour, then you still have to let it sit on the counter before rolling. It feels endless when all you want is pie.
But here’s the deal. Chilling isn’t busy work, it’s what keeps that crust flaky and easy to handle. Resting time lets the gluten relax so your dough rolls out without fighting back, and it keeps your crust from shrinking in the oven. The chill also gives moisture a chance to redistribute, which is hard to do in the middle of mixing.
So yes, it’s worth it. An hour in the fridge gives you a dough that behaves better and bakes up exactly the way you want. Give it the time, and your pie will thank you.
Tips for Working With Chilled Dough
- If your dough feels like a rock coming out of the fridge, just let it sit on the counter for 5 to 10 minutes. It will roll out without cracking once it loosens up.
- Make pie dough a day or two ahead so you are not stuck waiting around when you actually want to bake.
- Keep extra dough discs in the freezer for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and they are ready to roll.
- Lightly flour your counter and rolling pin. Chilled dough can still stick if you get heavy-handed.
- Don’t stress if it looks a little rough around the edges. Pie dough is forgiving, and once it bakes, no one will notice the cracks.
Try my recipe for fresh cherry pie using chilled pie dough.
Jake says
Chilling the dough also helps the fats in the dough re-solidify, which prevents the gluten from sticking together in one big clump. Rather (if you use the right mixture of fats) you’ll get flat sheets of fat (that make layers and thus flakes) and little balls of fat (that make melt sooner and coat the grains of flour, tender).
Remember, the harder you mix dough the more likely you are to make gluten, which is tough and elastic. That’s great for chewy bread, but bad for tender/flaky pie crust.
Gayle says
Thanks so much for this – I’ve always wondered. I have very rarely refrigerated the dough and you know what… I have always had poor results when baking a single crust for my cream pies… the dough shrinks every time. Hopefully next time the shell will keep its walls.
Noble Pig says
That’s right and mixing warms up the fats, which makes the fat melt…reducing the flakiness. Yes, 1 hour in the fridge is good.
Jennifer says
Live and learn…I had no idea that’s why you should chill dough.
linda says
lovely photo…your dough looks magnificent!
i do know why we chill dough but, mine never really works out well after chilling.
i am going to give it another try!
Dawn says
Wow, now I know what I’ve been doing wrong.
Jenna says
Thanks for sharing! I am hoping to make a few pies this holiday season 🙂
Barbie with a T says
Easy for you to say. I am still buying my crusts already made. ~sigh~ I love your upside down apple pie recipe, but I still used the bought pie crusts. It is interesting, though, to know the technical reason why you chill pie dough.
Barb says
Is that a Matfer rolling pin you’re using? If so, do you prefer it over a wood pin? I’ve been contemplating purchasing one and wondered what a really good cook (like you!) thinks of it. Thanks!
Kristin says
Thanks for this! My recipe says to chill the pie crust overnight and that’s not going to happen! I can let it chill for an hour or two though.
Andy says
Thanks! It is nice to know the “why”!
Mary Prevost says
Thank you. I thought I had heard this made a good pie crust great. I’m making my husband a birthday peach pie and want it to be extra special. I really appreciated the explanation. I’m going to add your website to my home page!!!
Just me says
With homemade gluten-free pie crust, refrigeration works wonders to the taste as well. It’s using brown rice flour, tapioca, and potato starch, so it must be moisture evening and fat solidifying. I make the coconut oil a liquid to start out the mixing, so probably back as a solid it can spread out better than I mixed.
Eileen says
I’ve been making pies all of my adult life and just learned about chilling the dough. Today I’m giving it a try and hoping for excellent results. Thank you for the detailed explanation why it is such a good idea.
Nona Fonnesbeck says
Thanks for the tip on chilling the dough. Never have done that. Another key to flaky crust is to not work the dough very much after mixed and don’t use extra flour! The best results come when I make sure the flour and shortening are cut in well together but only with a hand held pastry cutter. Make sure you don’t add too much water or flour. I found an easy way to roll out dough was to take 2 heavier sheets of plastic cut out from a ziplock 2.5 gal bag. I tape one plastic sheet to the counter or table & place the ball of dough on it and then place the other sheet over the top and roll out. No dough sticking to my rolling pin. Then you peal off the top and put on your pie plate. Everyone asks for my pies. I can’t say I make anything else as good for Thanksgiving but I look forward to those pies! In fact I want all kinds and have a hard time selecting just a few.
JOHN says
by the same token, you should refrigerate the pie dough again after you have rolled it out and prepared the crust for “blind baking”
HopeN says
Can I freeze the pie dough for quicker results? I’m in AZ with 100 degree weather…
Cathy says
I mean you can, however if it freezes all the way then you’ll have to wait to thaw it.
peter baxter says
You should try air conditioning. It will reduce your 100 degree temperature considerably.
susan felt says
I recently saw an ad for a pastry mat where she immediately rolled out her pastry (not letting it chill) and then put the mat with the pastry on it in the frig. My question is does it makes a difference if you roll it out and then refrigerate it ? I’ve always wrapped mine in plastic wrap and let chill for about 20 minutes before rolling it out. Thanks for any help
c daly says
can you roll the dough and THEN refrigerate?