The Ol' Faithful of Pie Crusts

I am not sure why people are so scared of making a pie crust. It is super easy, forgiving, and tasty! Here is the basic recipie for a standard pie crust. The best part about this recipie is that it is easily doubled and can be frozen for up to 3 months. I would wrap the dough in plastic wrap then put into a Ziploc bag.

Basic Pie Crust

1 1/3 cups Flour

4 Tablespoons Butter (diced)

1/4 cup Crisco shortening

1/4 tsp. Salt (If using unsalted butter, use 1/2 tsp salt)

5 Tablespoons ice cold Water

*This makes a 9inch pie crust shell, so if you need a top and bottom just double it. I usually have some dough left over and just cook it with some cinnamon sugar on it for a snack!*

Step 1: Put the flour, diced up butter, Crisco, and salt in a bowl and begin mixing with a pastry cutter untill it turns into a sandy mixture. You can use a food processor to for this step. But it only takes a few minutes and a little elbow grease to get the job done.

Step 2: Put in your 5 Tablespoons of ice cold water. Mix untill the crumbs turn into a combined dough. After it is combined, take the dough and form it into a disc shape and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refridgerate for 15 to 30 minutes.


Step 3: After being chilled well, take the dough and begin rolling out on a floured surface. The dough is slightly sticky so make sure to rub the flour on the outside before rolling.

Step 4: Roll the dough back onto the rolling pin to assist the move to the pie plate. Cover the pie plate and lift crust up along outside edges to ensure there are no air pockets on the side. If the dough rips just patch it up! No one will notice and you can just say it is rustic. I like to leave a slight lip on this crust because it shrinks up a small bit. If you want to flute or crimp the edges be my guest. You can just go around the outside edge with a knife and cut the excess.

Step 5: For some recipies you need to microwave the crust- just microwave the crust for 4-7 minutes depending on your microwave strength. You will just have to touch the dough and decide when it begins to get a little crisp. As the dough cools it also sets up more. When using a microwave method it is SO important to prick the dough alot to ensure no bubbles form. When cooking in the oven just use what the recipie is calling for.

Helpful Hints

* Use a clear glass pie plate when microwaving so you can see the bottom cooking color*

* You may want to cover the exposed edges on the top with aluminim foil when baking in the oven for long periods of time.*