What to Do With Your Leftover Pie Crust

Whether you purchase your pie crust in-store or make it from scratch at home, discover the possibilities with these three creative pie crust recipes.

1. Baked Brie

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Roll out dough.
• Place Brie wheel in the center of the dough.
• Top with preserves, like raspberry, mixed berry, or strawberry jam.
• Wrap the dough around the Brie.
• Brush with egg wash.
• Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Expert Tips

• Serve with apple slices and French bread or crackers.
• Add walnuts or cooked bacon to the preserves for extra crunch.
• Use spicy pepper jelly instead of fruit preserves for an unexpected kick.

2. Quiche

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Roll out dough into a circle slightly larger than your pie dish and lay it inside.
• Prick the dough all over with a fork to keep the crust flat.
• Prebake the pie crust for 10 to 12 minutes until golden.
• Chop 1 cup of cooked vegetables and drop them into the crust. Try asparagus, peppers, onions, mushrooms, or your favorite combination.
• Beat 5 large eggs in a bowl with 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of shredded cheese.
• Add the egg mixture to the pie crust.
• Sprinkle with fresh minced herbs like parsley or dill.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until firm.

Expert Tips

• Pre-baking the pie shell saves a step. Shells can be refrigerated or frozen for later.
• Quiche is perfect for using up leftover vegetables. As long as it tastes good, there’s no wrong combination.
• Experiment with different cheeses like Swiss, cheddar, Parmesan, and pepper Jack.

3. Hand Pies

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Roll out the pie dough into a circle just larger than a pie dish.
• Slash off each side of the circle so you have one large rectangle.
• Slice the rectangle into 4 smaller rectangles.
• Spoon fruit filling onto each rectangle (enough to cover half the dough).
• Place fruit into the center of the dough.
• Fold dough over (from corner to corner) into a triangle.
• Crimp the edges with a fork.
• Dab each hand pie with egg wash using a pastry brush.
• Arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes until golden brown.

Expert Tips

• Crimping not only looks beautiful but also keeps hand pies from splitting during baking.
• Dip your crimping fork in flour, cold water, or oil first to prevent it from sticking to the dough.
• To make the fruit mixture, sprinkle 1 cup of berries or chopped fruit with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix in a bowl to incorporate before adding to the dough. Try using blackberries, or chopped apples, strawberries, pears or peaches.
• Sprinkle each triangle with sugar or just before baking for extra glitter and crunch. Or drizzle after baking with an old-fashioned caramel dip.
• To make savory hand pies, use blanched spinach and crumbled feta cheese or mushrooms instead of the fruit mixture.

Tricks to Making Pie Crust

• Remove dough from the fridge 10 minutes before rolling it out.
• Start rolling in the center and work to the edges in all directions so the dough is an even thickness.
• Roll out dough to the thickness of a kitchen towel.
• Make egg wash by beating an egg with a tablespoon of cold water or milk. Egg wash gives pastry dough a shiny, golden finish.