It takes a bit of practice to make a pie crust, just as it does to hit a tennis ball. Take a cool Saturday morning and make several batches, testing them by cutting off a strip and baking it, until you come up with the one of your dreams. Note on your recipe what you like, then write your own recipe. The size you cut fat into whether you use shortening or butter can both make a difference. Remember, however, that different flours absorb water differently, and flours absorb water differently according to the weather, so your crust will be different in measure each time—you need to learn the feel.
If you want a browner crust, use butter or margarine. If you want a less brown crust, use vegetable shortening.
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Divide into three portions. Add some of the ice water to one portion of the mixture, a little at a time, working just until the dough holds together. Set aside. Repeat with each of the remaining two portions. Gather all the dough together into a smooth ball and flatten into a disk. Add more ice water if still dry. Wrap well with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
Step 2
Flour a board, wax paper, or pie cloth and use a floured or stockinged rolling pin to roll out the dough. Place the dough disk in the center of the floured surfaced. Starting in the center of the dough, roll to, but not over, the top edge of the dough. Go back to the center, and roll down to, but not over, the bottom edge. Pick up the dough and turn it a quarter circle. This will keep it round and keep it from sticking.
Step 3
Continue rolling, repeating the quarter turns until you have a disk 1/8 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches larger than your pan. Fold in quarters.
Step 4
Place the pastry in a 9-inch pie pan with the tip of the triangle in the center and unfold. Trim the pastry 1 inch larger than the pie pan and fold the overhanging pastry under itself. To decorate, press the tines or handle end of a fork around the edge. To make a fluted pattern, use both of your thumbs to pinch the dough all around the rim so that the edge of the dough stands up. Place in the freezer or chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to 3 days, wrapped before baking.
Step 5
To prebake, preheat the oven to 425°F. Prick the pastry all over with a fork. Crumple a piece of wax paper, then open it out to the edges of the pan. Weight the paper with raw rice or dried peas. Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the paper and rice or peas and paper. (The rice or peas may be used again the next time you prebake a pie crust.) Now the prebaked shell can be filled with a filling and baked according to the filling directions. If the filling requires no cooking, bake the pie shell 10 minutes before filling.
Two-Crust Pie Directions
Step 6
If making a two-crust pie, double the ingredients and make the bottom crust larger than the top crust. Dampen the rim of the bottom crust before putting on the top one, then seal the two together. Be very careful not to stretch either dough, so they stay together when baked.
