Pie Crust (Basic)

Source: Joy of Cooking

Ingredients

• 2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ⅓ cup Shortening
• ⅓ cup Chilled Butter
• 5 tbsp Water

Method

For one-crust, 9-inch, use ½ this recipe. This is for a double 9-inch crust, or single crust with a generous lattice.

Sift, then measure 2 c flour Resift it with: 1 tsp salt Measure and combine the shortening and butter or use in all ⅔ cup shortening.

Cut ½ of the shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or work it in lightly with the tips of fingers until it has the grain of cornmeal. Cut the remaining half coarsely into the dough until it is pea size.

Sprinkle the dough with 5 tbsp water. Blend the water lightly into the dough. You may lift the ingredients with a fork, allowing the moisture to spread. If needed, add just enough water to hold ingredients together. When you can gather the dough up into a tidy ball, stop handling it.

Notes

Chilling pastry dough after mixing tenderizes it, keeps it from shrinking during baking and makes it easier to handle. We recommend refrigerating it, covered, for 12 hours or more. Be sure to remove the dough from the refrigerator at least one hour before shaping, otherwise you will be obliged to over-handle it. Pie dough will hold for a week or more in refrig.

Choose non-shiny pans for browning.

Always start baking in a very hot oven, preheated to temp indicated.