I read all 100 plus reviews and the main thing I came up with was that chilling the dough for an hour helps. I also used a food processor to cut in the butter which I used instead of shortening. I didnt have to use as much liquid as stated. I added a little bit at a time. After chilling the dough still seemed quite soft and I thought it was goin to be hard to work with but it wasn't. My aunt (walking cookbook and great pastry maker) has tried for years to bring my pastry up from just passable and failed. After eating a quiche made with this my dad said I'll tell Aunty Ellen you've finally made it. Thanks
The most delicious, light, flaky pastry I have ever made for my pies - and that's saying something! I made it with butter, as usual, and YUM! For the flakiest pastry, stop cutting in the shortening when it is about the size of a pea, no finer. People who say the recipe didn't work for them, please remember that there are many variables when adding liquid to flour: eggs aren't all the same size, and the humidity of the day will affect how much of the liquid mixture the flour will need. Cut in the liquid a bit at a time, be patient, and when the dough comes together, just stop.
This is the REAL thing-I should know I've been making pies for almost 40 years. I use a food processor for 'cutting' the shortening in-then mix in the liquid by hand-you have better control that way-and you won't overmix and make the crust tough..... The results are spectacular-flaky, tender and easy to roll-even for the beginner. Do agree with other reviewers-refrigerating the dough an hour or more always makes it easier to roll.
I confess... For years I have bought the frozed pie crusts at the stores because of a few fail attempts. If it had a top crust I didn't make it. And I love to bake and love a challenge so why I did this for so long I cannot say. So I used this wonderful site and all of your tips and with this recipe I made an amazing crust. Could not have turned out better. Here are the tips I followed: 1. Chill the bowl and the fat. 2. Do not "over-cut" the fat into the flour mix. You want some lumps-they make it flakey. 3.Chill the dough again while you make your filling. 4. MOST HELPFUL FOR ME: Roll the dough out ONCE and do so in between two sheets of wax paper. Remove one sheet and line up on pie plate push into place and remove second sheet. Do not be afraid of pie crust like I was for way too long. These tips really ease the process and give wonderful results. No more tough dough stuck to the counters!
If you have ever had trouble with pie crust this recipe is for you! I used butter flavored Crisco and had no trouble at all. I chilled the dough and rolled it between two pieced of wax paper and it came out beautifully. I would definitely use this recipe again and again!
This is THE recipe for pie crust!!!! I have made this dozens of times since finding it and each time I get PERFECT pie crust!!! For those who are having trouble with this recipe: Measure carefully Add liquids SLOWLY and only enough to form a ball at the most. For those who are throwing the leftover pie crust away: Lay out flat on cookie sheet spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar cut into bars or squares and bake at same temp as recipe till golden. My dad calls these "pie-crust cookies" and accuses me of trying to make him fat!!!
While I do love lard or butter in pie crusts I used none of either. After all I chose a shortening pie crust recipe and thought it only fair to the recipe and its submitter to prepare it as written. And it was perfect. This crust is SO tender and flaky! Heck it flakes as you CUT it it's so flaky! Simply a beautiful crust and if basic pie crust techniques are followed you will have no problems. This will be one of those rare pie crusts where none is left behind on the plate!
I have had wonderful results with this recipe. Over the last few months I have made a couple of additions though. Add about 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon to the flour along with the salt. Increase the water to 5 1/2 tbsp. Then after baking just sprinle some granulated white sugar on top after brushing with an egg white. Awesome results!!! Even for the recreational baker!
I use lard (1 cup only) and make sure it is well chilled before using....I use my food processor and it comes together in a perfect ball which I can use right away....the trick to this crust is you want it chilled (not cold) but room temp. dough will give you fits. I get 3 crusts out of this recipe and it freezes beautifully for later use. This one is truly a "no brainer"...thanks for sharing this recipe!!!
I am not sure what I did wrong with this recipe but it didn't come out very good at all! I followed it exactly as written except that I substituted half of the shortening with butter. I also needed to add one extra tablespoon of water to get the dough to come together. I was making it for a chicken pot pie so I stuck the dough in the fridge while I cooked up the rest of the ingredients. There was no problem rolling out the dough. It looked really pretty and for a moment I had high hopes for it. But when it came out of the oven the bottom crust was all soggy and doughy. The top crust was nice and crisp though I have to say that the flavor was completely unremarkable. I was hoping for something buttery and flaky. Instead it tasted like baked homemade play dough. I was so disappointed after all that work to make a chicken pot pie from scratch! At dinner time everyone ended up picking around the crust and only eating the chicken and vegetables. Even my dog wouldn't eat the crust so it all ended up in the trash bin. I'm sorry but I definitely will not be making this again!
