How to Make Pie Crust

Ingredients

• 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup vegetable shortening
• 7 tablespoons ice-cold water
• Softened stick of butter (slightly unwrapped at top)

Steps

1. In large bowl, mix flour and salt. Cut in shortening with pastry cutter, or by crisscrossing two knives. Cut and blend until dough is little pea-sized balls.
2. Special tip: Place approximately 6 tablespoons of the dough in small bowl. Mix in ice-cold water into contents of small bowl with fork until all is well-blended.
3. Add contents of small bowl back into large bowl and cut with pastry cutter. Using hands, form dough into ball. Split ball in two (one for bottom crust and one for top).
4. Tape waxed paper to counter with masking tape, or cover with pastry cloth. Roll one ball out on paper or cloth, rolling from the center out so dough is about 1/8 inch thick.
5. Carefully untape paper if using waxed paper. Lift one corner of paper or cloth and use it to support dough as you fold it in half. Peel back paper or cloth.
6. Lift bottom of paper of cloth to fold dough again so it forms a triangle. With paper or cloth still on bottom, flip dough triangle into pie plate so the paper or cloth is on top.
7. Carefully peel away cloth or paper. Gently unfold dough and lightly press into plate. Using sharp knife, trim edges.
8. Fill your pie. You can add a few pats of butter on top.
9. Roll out second ball of dough and form triangle again. Place on top of filling. Using fork, crimp top and bottom crusts together. Trim off excess with sharp knife. Cut slits in top, or a design of your liking. Butter the top with the softened stick of butter.
10. Bake as your pie recipe requires.

Tips

• If your crust
  
  
  • bakes too smooth, it was handled too much.
  • bottom is soggy, use a dull pan next time or increase oven temperature.
  • is tough, used too much water, or flour, or was handled too much
  • is too tender and crumbly, used too little water or too much shortening
  • is dry and not flaky, the shortening was cut too much, or too little water.

Warnings

• The dough, when you roll it out, should be a little crumbly at the edges. If your dough is too crumbly to shape, add more water, and if it is really wet (not crumbling at the edges at all), add a little more flour.
• When baking pie, place plate on larger cookie sheet or pizza pan to catch any overflowing filling.

Things You'll Need

• pastry cutter
• fork
• rolling pin
• waxed paper and masking tape or pastry cloth
• large bowl
• small bowl
• 9-inch pie plate
• sharp knife