Wondering which frozen or pre-made, store-bought pie crust you should buy? Heres our ultimate Simply Recipes guide to the best and the worst of the bunch.
I do. I love to make pie. I love to eat pie. I especially love a good homemade pie crust. In fact, Ive spent years encouraging people to make their own pie crust from scratch (and even have the worlds most fool-proof pie crust recipe with video right here on the site).
That said, Ive learned over the years that most home cooks will use a store-bought frozen or refrigerated crust to make their pies. I get it. We are busy people. We want pie. We would rather make a pie in one hour than in two.
With that in mind, I set out to review several packaged pie crusts I could find locally, to see if there were any I would personally use and recommend, and if there were any that people should simply avoid.
What follows is my review of 10 different frozen or packaged pie crusts that I found at markets here in Sacramento. Most are name brands that are available nationally. Four of the 10 crusts come from one brand because this brand offered a variety of crust types, including gluten-free and whole wheat, that I wanted to test.
Usually you can find them in the refrigerated aisle, or in the freezer section of your supermarket, and there are benefits to both types.
Leadbetter’s All Natural French Picnic Flaky Pastry Sheet
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Leadbetters is San Francisco based company that distributes their products to Whole Foods and other grocers in the Bay Area. Many urban areas have local bakery brands that produce high quality packaged butter crusts.
- 8 ounces each
- $10.99 for a package of 2 (at Whole Foods)
- Frozen rolled out and flat
- Organic flour, salted butter, water
Tasting notes: Extremely buttery and flaky. Like eating a croissant.
Structure Notes: More of a pastry crust than a pie crust. Very flaky, not very sturdy.
Conclusion: RECOMMEND WITH CAVEAT. The most delicious of all the pie crusts I tested. Best if you need a light and flaky pastry crust. Don’t recommend it if you need a sturdy crust.
This particular crust is only available in the San Francisco Bay Area, but is a good example of the excellent packaged crusts that may be available from local bakeries.
Wholly Wholesome Organic Traditional
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Wholly Wholesome is a natural foods brand available throughout the U.S. at Whole Foods and grocery stores that carry natural food brands.
- 7 oz each
- $5.99 for a package of 2 (at Whole Foods)
- Frozen in aluminum pie tin
- Flour, palm oil, water, cane sugar, sea salt
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Tasting notes: Good taste, right amount of salt and sugar, tender and flaky, can keep eating
Structure notes: Did not crack or break with pre-baking. When baked with a pumpkin pie filling, it held up well. No soggy crust. Even though it is a deep dish pie crust, it doesnt hold as much filling as my homemade pie crust, so when I cooked up a pumpkin pie with it, I had about a cup of leftover filling.
Conclusion: RECOMMEND. I would use this pie crust. The taste is good. I kept nibbling on the crusts I blind baked for this test. The crust holds up well for both blind-baking and baking with a pie. Would be good for a sweet pie or a savory pie such as a quiche.
Pie Crust; Chefie Tip!
FAQ
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