Pie Crust

It really isn't that hard to make a pie crust from scratch. It takes longer than grabbing one out of the freezer, of course, but it is fairly simple and definitely tastes a whole lot better! I use the recipe out of my Better Homes and Garden cookbook my mom gave me years ago. This recipe creates enough dough for an 8- or 9-inch pie. This is the same crust recipe I used for the Coconut Cream Pie, Chocolate Meringue Pie, Chess Pie, Quiche Lorraine and Spinach Pie. The crust is flaky and light and quite delicious!

1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp shortening

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 to 3 Tbsps cold water

Place the shortening, flour and salt in your bowl.

Using a pastry cutter, cut the shortening into the flour until it is a crumbly texture and you don't see any white left. You can test the dough by pinching some between your thumb and forefinger. It should hold together.

Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of cold water, and using a fork, toss the dough with the water until it begins to clump and form most of a ball. The dough will clean the sides of the bowl. Gather pastry into a ball. 

Roll on a lightly floured surface 2 inches larger than your pie plate. Fold dough in half, then in half again and gently place in pie dish and open back up. Follow directions for what you are making. If you need a baked pie crust, bake at 475 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until golden.