Basic Pie & Pastry Crust + Tips & Tricks

Total Time: 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup shortening
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2-2/3 cup very cold water

Recipe

• 1 cut shortening into flour/salt until it looks like peas.
• 2 add very cold water all at once and quickly toss with a fork; shape into a ball being careful not to over knead.
• 3 divide dough in half and roll thin.
• 4 this makes two single piecrusts or one double crust pie.
• 5 tips and tricks:.
• 6 to avoid a soggy crust, try brushing the bottom of the crust with egg before adding fruit; filling the shell *just* before baking also helps prevent sogginess; sogginess can also be caused from the oven temperature being too low or the time too short.
• 7 for a flakier upper crust, brush lightly with cold water before popping in the oven; also keep ingredients and dough cold until baked.
• 8 to prevent the crust from shrinking, avoid stretching the dough as you roll it and avoid stretching it when placed in the pie plate; allowing the pie shell to rest about 30 minutes before baking will also help prevent shrinking.
• 9 never shake the flour while placing in the measuring cup; instead, level it with the back of a knife.
• 10 toss ingredients with a fork, lightly and quickly, rather than stirring.
• 11 don't use too much water; about 1/2 c of iced water to 2 cups of flour.
• 12 to prevent burning of the crust, try baking the pie in a large paper bag stapled closed, being sure that it doesn't touch any part of the oven; or use an oven- roasting bag.
• 13 try rolling some grated cheese into the dough when making an apple pie.
• 14 try adding toasted slivered almonds to piecrust that you intend to fill with a cream filling or cherry filling.