Pie crust

by Elsha

I make my own pie crust -- almost always -- and despite what you may have heard, pie crust is not that hard to make. Here's the recipe I use:

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup shortening (I always use crisco)
7 tbsp cold water

I don't have a pastry cutter, so I cut the crisco into the flour with two butter knives. Once you have a crumbly looking mix of flour/salt and shortening, add the water. I usually stir in the water a with a fork until it's a sticky mixture then I mix it the rest of the way with my hands. Hand mixing goes against the general rule that you shouldn't handle pie dough too much, but it's the best way to mix things thoroughly. If it still seems sticky, a little extra flour should do the trick. Too much flour will make your dough crumbly and tough which is super frustrating, so better to add extra flour a little at a time.

Then divide the dough (this recipe makes a top and bottom crust) and roll out. Make sure to flour your rolling surface and your rolling pin so your dough doesn't stick. And there you have it. Now, I have no tips at all for making the edges of your crust look pretty. My mom is an expert, but I still can't manage anything more than pinching the edges together.

What about you, do you make your own pie crust?

Comments

[Cass]

I make my own pie crust, and I think the recipe is pretty close to what you posted. I've never really understood why everyone has so many problems with making it, but maybe I just had a good teacher.