Plain Pastry Pie Crust

For a single 8 inch pie crust:
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (180g)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup crisco shortening, cold (95g)
  • 5-7 Tablespoons water, cold

For a single 9-10 inch double pie crust:
  • 2 cups all purpose flour (240g)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup crisco shortening, cold (143g)
  • 5-7 Tablespoons water, cold
Sift together flour and salt. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until pieces are the size of small peas.(To make pastry extra tender and flaky cut in half the shortening until mixture looks like cornmeal and then cut in the remaining until it looks like small peas.)

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of water over a section of the flour -shortening mixture. Gently toss with fork; push to one side of the bowl. Sprinkle next tablespoon of water over dry part; toss lightly, push to moisten side of the bowl. Repeat until all is moistened. Gather up with fingers; form a ball. (For two pie crusts, divide dough and form into two balls.)

On a lightly floured surface, flatten ball slightly and roll to 1/8 inch thickness. If edges split, pinch together. Always roll spoke fashion, going from center to edge of dough using light strokes.

To transfer pastry, roll it over rolling pin; unroll pastry over pie plate, fitting loosely onto bottom and sides.

To bake single pie crust: 

Trim 1/2 to 1 inch beyond edge, fold under and flute.

If baked pie shell is needed, prick bottom and sides with a fork. 
Bake at 450° until pastry is golden, 10 to 12 minutes.

If filling and piecrust are to be baked together, do not prick pastry. Pour in filling and bake pie as directed in recipe. 

Wrap any extra dough in aluminum foil or several sheets of waxed paper and refrigerate until needed. Alternatively, use pastry shapes for cutouts and bake in oven for decoration.

To make double crust pie:

Fit the lower crust in pie plate. Slash the upper crust with your own design. Trim lower crust even with rim of pie plate, moisten the edge. Add top crust, trim half inch beyond edge, tuck it under the edge of the lower crust, to seal in juice. Crimp edge. Bake as directed in a pie recipe you are using.








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