When I first knew that I really loved to cook, one of the first things I learned to make was pie crust. I wanted to make the pies to contribute to Thanksgiving dinner. This recipe for pie crust has never gone wrong for me. It's super easy and works every time. This crust is pretty basic and will work for most pies. It ends up being super-flaky and tender when you take a bite.
I may post some other types of crust in the future, but this is my good 'ole standby!
This 12" round sealed piece of granite was given to me by a friend of the family (thanks Dino) a while back, and now I do not know what I did without it! It was meant to be used as a cutting board, which it is from time to time, but what it works absolutely perfect for is rolling out pie crust! It is the exact diameter I use when rolling out the crust, so I flour it, put the dough in the middle and roll to the edges...plus, it stays cold...so it helps to keep those little balls of butter & shortening from melting!
Oh-So-Easy Pie Crust
by
Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes (mostly unat
Cook Time: n/a
Keywords: vegetarian soy-free butter flour Thanksgiving Christmas Easter pie
Ingredients (2 (9-inch) Pie Crusts)
- 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup shortening, cut into small pieces
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick/4 ounces) cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 6-8 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
Pulse flour, sugar, salt, shortening & butter in food processor until coarse crumbs form.
Add 6 Tbs. of the ice water and pulse until mixture just comes together and forms large clumps.If mixture is still too dry, add a little more ice water at a time until it does just hold together. (Ice water helps keep the butter & shortening from melting.)
It should hold together if you pinch it without crumbling.
Turn mixture out onto work surface and pull quickly into a mass. Do this as quickly as possible because you still want to be able to see those balls of butter & shortening in the dough. Those are what keeps the crust so flaky and tender. Divide dough into two equal parts.
Wrap each separately in plastic wrap (or, if you discover you're out of plastic wrap...clearing throat...stick them in baggies. It worked), forming 2 discs.
Store in the refrigerator at least 1 hour, but up to overnight until ready to use. Or go ahead and freeze one or both for a rainy day!
When ready to use, roll out one disk of dough at a time into a 12" round. Gently roll dough back with rolling pin and place it over pie plate. Tuck in carefully.
This dough is VERY forgiving...one of the reasons I like it so much. If a hole forms, just pinch the dough back together. If there doesn't seem to be enough dough on one side, cut the over hang from another side and pinch it onto the part that seems short. Give yourself some decorative edges, or just fold the dough over and trim.
Now you just need some goodness to put inside! Bake it according to your specific need.
