Since most of the reviews for this pie crust are so positive you will be tempted, as I was, to use this recipe. Before you do, however, I urge you to pay careful attention to not only the one or two star reviews, but also to any reviews that indicate they made changes, or who comment that there was too much shortening in the recipe. They are all right on! My experience was the same...too much fat makes a dough that is too greasy, fragile and difficult to work with. I can't even comment on how it baked as I didn't get that far. I was so disappointed in the dough itself that I just pitched it and made it again using my old recipe. I didn't trust the dough enough to gamble with what the finished product would be. If you make the necessary changes to make this pie crust work then you really aren't using this recipe anyway!
This is a great recipe because the measurements are very accurate. I used 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of shortening instead of all shortening and mixed them together and put it in the fridge. I also put my food processor bowl in the fridge. After they were good and chilled, I put the flour in the food processor and added the shortening and pulsed it till it looked coarse and then I added ice cold water to it a little at a time as I pulsed it until it formed a ball. It came out EXCELLENT in taste and texture! My hubby is a pastry chef and gave it thumbs up! Oh and I put a little less salt in it because my butter had salt. If you use the unsalted butter put the full tsp of salt in it as the recipe indicates.
EASY WAY: To roll this out easily and perfectly center the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap, then roll it out. When you are finished rolling it out take off the top piece of plastic wrap, put a pie pan upside down over the dough, then turn the whole thing (pie pan, dough, bottom plastic wrap) upside down. Lastly, press the dough into place in the pie pan and remove the second piece of plastic wrap.
I have baked more than 20 pies over the past year, and consistently get rave reviews about the crust. Of course, I use this recipe, but I add an extra trick. Chill EVERYTHING before beginning. I put the bowl and pastry cutter in the refrigerator, and I keep 1 ice cube in the water to keep it cold. It keeps the shortening from blending too much with the flour, leaving you with little pockets of shortening that result in extra flakes.
I am a seasoned pie crust maker, our usual crust recipe is 3/2/1 Flour/crisco/cold water in that order. It has worked out pretty good for me, but I always have to work in so much flour. Many of my friends have tried that recipe, and think it is ruined, and toss it. They are daunted by the gooey appearance of the dough. This recipe changes the ratio just a little bit, and the crust is perfect. I skip the chilling, I just let it rest on the counter for 30 min. before I use it. I never plan well enough in advance to put things in the fridge. I avoid recpes that tell me to do that, usually. It is now my favorite crust recipe. I am entering a pie in a contest next weekend, I think it will win. Thanks for the great crust recipe. (the pie did not win the contest, but the crust got rave reviews, and I was asked for it many times.)
Very good pie crust. I didn't have the 4 hours to let the dough chill, so I added an egg and made the the water ice water and it was great!
I have tried different kinds of pie crusts in my life, looking for the very best one. I was sceptical about this one, because it sounded wayyy too simple, and I had tried one that used the exact same ingredients before,but different ratios, and didn't turn out so good. So I thought, I'd try it and see if it would make a difference. And did it make a difference! I used unsalted butter instead of shortening. It came out so flaky and fluffy and delicious! Even my mom (who can be pretty critical sometimes), said that it was the perfect crust! I was shocked! It really is the best ever pie crust! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
I just love this crust and so does everyone else who has tried it! I have used it for pies and chicken pot pie. It's easy to roll out. I have to add a little extra flour usually just to get it smooth, but it bakes up perfect and flaky. Also, if you need the crust NOW, just stick it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Works just the same.
This is the perfect pie crust.Over the years I have tried other recipes that cut down on the shortening but haven't been this light and flaky. Also, the less you handle it the flakier it is. I used about 5 Tbsp. of water and that was enough--but make sure it is ice cold. Sometimes the best recipes are so basic.
