Homemade Pie Crust
This is a plain shortening pie crust that fits a 20 cm pie plate and takes about 30 minutes to make. It uses only four ingredients, and the method depends on restraint. Unlike bread dough, pastry should develop as little gluten as possible, so the dough is mixed only until it holds together and then rolled once. Cold shortening and cold water keep the finished crust tender instead of tough.
Instructions
Stir the flour and salt together in a medium bowl.
Add the cold shortening and cut it into the flour with a pastry blender or two knives. Stop when the mixture looks crumbly.
Sprinkle the cold water over the crumbs and mix only until the dough holds together. If it seems dry, add a further 15 ml of water. Handle it as little as you can once the water is in.
Shape the dough into a ball and set it on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out to a thickness of 3 mm (⅛ inch).
Fit the pastry into the pie plate. Trim around the edge, leaving a 2 cm (1 inch) overhang, then fold the overhang under and crimp it as you like.
For a double-crust pie, double all the ingredients and divide the dough in half. Keep the dough well wrapped until you are ready to use it.
Make it personal.
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