Julie Clark
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Cinnamon Roll Pie Crust
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Looking to hints on how to make your pie crust better? Try this Cinnamon Roll Pie Crust! Hints on how to make a flaky pie crust that is swirled with cinnamon.
You know how much we love our cinnamon roll recipes. We feel *almost* the same way about our pies. There’s just nothing like a classic homemade pie. The only thing better could be marrying two recipes into one! Take that classic cinnamon roll flavor and make it the base of a fruit pie.
You know and love our cinnamon thing, which is our version of pie crust cinnamon rolls, and this recipe is a unique take on that classic rolled pie dough with cinnamon sugar mixture. Here’s how to do it!
Start with the best pie dough.
When making cinnamon roll pie crust, it’s important to start with a good base recipe for pie dough. We use our grandma’s pie crust recipe. It’s soft, flaky, easy to make and tastes amazing. It’s the perfect base to any homemade pie.
Another option would be our sourdough pie crust with discard.
If you’re really in a hurry, buy store bought pie dough that is already rolled out. Then just add the butter, sugar and cinnamon and roll as we describe below.
Ingredients for a Flaky Pie Crust
Our pie crust is the perfect combination of flaky and flavorful. Here’s our hints for the simple ingredients:
- Use Pastry Flour. Pastry flour can be found at specialty stores and at some grocery stores. It is a low protein flour that leads to a tender crumb. You can use all-purpose flour or cake flour if you can’t find pastry flour.
- Shortening and Butter. Shortening is the key to a flaky crust. But butter is the key to flavor. Our recipe uses half butter and half shortening for the best of both worlds.
- Cold Ingredients. Keep the ingredients and bowl as cold as possible. If the butter and shortening are cold, they’ll melt as the pie bakes, creating flaky layers.
- Vinegar. This may seem like a strange ingredient, but vinegar also helps to tenderize the crust. Don’t worry…you can’t taste it. Don’t skip this key ingredient!
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Pie Crust
- Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Cut in the shortening and the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Mix the water and vinegar together in a cup. Add the mixture to the crumbs. Mix together just until the dough is combined and handles well.
- Sprinkle flour on the counter before rolling out the dough. Split the dough into two pieces.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out one piece of dough on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle. The dough should be about the thickness of a regular pie dough.
- Spread a light coating of butter all over the pie crust. Then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
- Starting with the long end, roll up the dough jelly roll style, as if you were making cinnamon rolls. Roll the dough tightly.
- Once the dough is rolled, use a sharp knife or pastry cutter to cut the dough into slices about 1/4-1/2″ thick.
- Press the cinnamon rolls flat side down into the bottom and up the sides of a 9″ pie pan. Overlap and press the edges together to seal the crust.
- If you are making just a bottom crust, turn the edge under and use thumbs flute the edges of the dough.
- Fill the pie and bake according to your pie recipe.
- If you are making a double crusted pie, roll out the other half of the dough, spread it with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, rollup jelly roll style and slice into 1/4″ thick slices just as with the other crust.
- Fill the bottom pie crust, then place the cinnamon roll slices overtop the fruit filling. Don’t worry about sealing the crust, but simply place the slices overtop in a pretty arrangement. The pie needs to vent anyway. Bake the pie as your recipe suggests.
Apple Pie with Cinnamon Roll Crust
Our favorite pie to make with this recipe? Apple of course! Apples and cinnamon are a classic fall combination and this pie crust is perfect for apple pie. Get the full instructions to our cinnamon roll apple pie.
And you should also try this with our oatmeal pie.
Tools I Use To Make Flaky Pie Crust
- Pastry Cutter: I use this tool all the time. It cuts butter into flour perfectly for streusels, crusts and other pastries.
- Pastry Mat: This silicone mat keeps your cupboard clean and makes rolling out pastries so easy.
- Cute Pie Plate: Because if you’re taking the time to make pie, serve it up in style!
- Pastry Guide: Makes perfectly round crust, every time.
Cinnamon Roll Pie Crust
Looking to hints on how to make your pie crust better? Try this Cinnamon Roll Pie Crust! Hints on how to make a flaky pie crust that is swirled with cinnamon.
Servings 8
Prep Time 15 minutes
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 3 cups pastry flour 390 grams
- 1 teaspoon salt 5 grams
- 1/2 cup shortening 4 ounces
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter 4 ounces
- 1/2 cup ice cold water 4 ounces
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
Instructions
- Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Cut in the shortening and the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. 3 cups pastry flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ cup shortening, ½ cup cold unsalted butter
- Mix the water and vinegar together in a cup. Add the mixture to the crumbs. Mix together just until the dough is combined and handles well. ½ cup ice cold water, 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- Sprinkle flour on the counter before rolling out the dough. Split the dough into two chunks.
- Roll out one piece of dough on a floured surface into a rectangle. The dough should be about the thickness of a regular pie dough.
- Spread a light coating of butter all over the pie crust. Then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. butter, cinnamon, sugar
- Starting with the long end, roll up the dough jelly roll style, as if you were making cinnamon rolls. Roll the dough tightly.
- Once the dough is rolled, use a sharp knife or pastry cutter to cut the dough into slices about 1/4-1/2" thick.
- Press the cinnamon rolls flat side down into the bottom and up the sides of a 9" pie plate. Overlap and press the edges together to seal the crust.
- If you are making just a bottom crust, turn the edge under and use thumbs "flute" the edges of the dough.
- Fill the pie and bake according to your pie recipe.
- If you are making a double crusted pie, roll out the other half of the dough, spread it with butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, rollup jelly roll style and slice into 1/4" thick slices just as with the other crust.
- Fill the bottom pie crust, then place the cinnamon roll slices overtop the fruit filling. Don't worry about sealing the crust, but simply place the slices overtop in a pretty arrangement. Bake the pie as your recipe suggests.
- This recipes makes enough for a double crusted pie.
Notes
This recipe makes enough for a double crusted pie. If you only need a bottom crust, make half of the recipe. You can also freeze the dough to use another time.
The calories shown are based on the the dough being divided 8 ways, with 1 serving being ⅛ of the crust. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**
Nutrition
Calories: 368kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 393mg | Potassium: 163mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 355IU | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 2mg
Wow! This crust sounds amazing. Never thought about making it a swirl Cinnamon. Or other flavors.
Thanks for the idea.
Question I know the recipe calls for Vinegar… but if someone is allergic to it… can (lets say.. Lemon Juice be used instead? )
Thanking you in advance,
Do we need to blind bake the pie dough before adding the apples?
wow what an idea …will have to try …thank you very much …