Pie Crust Recipe

I often get asked for this recipe. Nothing special. The secret to flaky crust is having cold water. I put ice in the water and set it aside, or sit it in the freezer in the hot summer. I measure the 1c. of water right before I add it to the crust.

Pie Crust

4 C. Flour
2 C. crisco
1 C. cold water

Measure the flour into the bowl of a kitchen aid mixer, cut the shortening into small pieces and add to the flour, mixing on low speed. When the flour and crisco looks like crumbs I shut the mixer off and add the cold water all at once. I then mix it just until combined. It will be very sticky. I place it into 4 equal size balls on saran wrap, wrap each individually and freeze. If I am using it for pies right away I put it in the fridge and let it rest for about 30 minutes. This makes the crust less elastic when rolling it out and the crust will get good and cold.

After I roll the crust and place it in the pie pan, I put it in the freezer while I mix the ingredients. This will let the fat in the crust chill. I also bake the pie at 400 degrees for the first 10 minutes. THis will 'set' the crust on the pie and it also helps to get the bottom crust cooked. After 10 minutes I turn the heat down to the recommended temperature to bake the pie according to the instructions.