Basic Flaky Pie Crust

I gave the dry ingredients and the shortning a whiz in my food processor until it formed a small crumb, then poured this into a bowl and added the water. This dough was so easy to work with. I'm so impressed with myself...the dough was delightfully flaky. I've always stayed away from making pie crust...but no more!! Peach season is just starting here and i can't wait to try my hand at a pie with this dough! Thank you Stephanie!! UPDATE: Since writing my review six months ago, I've gained a reputation for my flaky pie crust. I've been asked numerous times to make pies for gatherings. For people who have problems with this recipe, here are a few suggestions: Add an extra tbsp of water to the mixture, roll the dough between 2 pieces of waxed paper to prevent sticking and for easy transfer, and even though the recipe says to chill the dough, you don't have to. I've been working with this dough without chilling it, and I find it turns out even flakier, and is so easy to work with. Hope this helps!

I wish there were 10 stars. OMG this was the best pie crust ever! ***For anyone looking to double the recipe use 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 teas salt, 1 cup chilled shortening and 1/4 cup AND 2 tbs ice water. My sister doubled it wrong and although it was harder to work w/ it still tasted great! From reading all the reviews and will next time use the wax paper under and over the dough to help me roll it out and place it in the pie pan. But really this was so easy to make and was easy to work with, for the most part. Next time I'm going to try it w/ butter just to see the taste difference. My MIL couldn't stop talking about the crust. This is definatly a keeper! THANKS!!!! ***UPDATE*** I now make this crust all the time and I now use sticks of butter right out of the fridge instead of chilled Crisco and I like the taste much better. I've used this for all kinds of pies, even chicken pot pie and it goes great w/ anything you want to use it for. Also for a tip.. spread milk over the top of the crust and sprinkle w/ sugar before baking for a sweeter crust. Ummmm... Gotta go make some pies for Thanksgiving!

This tip is for Adtrent who has problems rolling out pie dough. On the surface you plan to roll out your pie dough, take a clean wet cloth, wipe the surface and IMMEDIATELY BEFORE IT DRIES, sprinkle flour over and rub it around. You will be able to roll out your dough without any trouble. Trust me I know. I experimented for a long time before I learned this trick. Just add more flour to the surface for more pie crusts.Good luck. Sandy

Left recipe as is, but used real butter (instead of shortening) that I had in my freezer. Sliced butter into small pieces and blended into flour mixture. After rolling in a ball, I placed in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour and then rolled it out. It was wonderful and flaky and in my opinion there is no need to use another pie crust recipe.

EASY! TASTY! I didn't have any shortening (I guess I can't buy it in my country/ I don't know what it is (?)) I made the crust with butter. Turned out really great. (though there wasn't enough for one quiche) To roll out the dough: Take a piece of clingfilm. On top of it you put the dough. Cover it with another piece of clingfilm. Then roll out the dough. Remove the upper layer of plastic. Put it up side down in your pie pan and pull the plastic off. So easy, I assure you won't have any problems! (And you don't need extra flour this way) I froze the crust, then prebaked it for 15 minutes. Brushed the crust with some eggwhite and put it back in the oven for 30 seconds (so it becomes 'waterproof') then put the filling in it. Try this recipe! Caroline

This is wonderful- perfect with any pie! I use it for Apple Pie by Grandma Ople from this site- superb!! I used butter and have also used butter blend instead of shortening and turned out great! Very flaky - rave reviews from all who have tasted!

WOW, this pie crust is the best i've ever tried making or eating. So flaky and buttery. It was great. I doubled the recipe for a double crust, and I used butter flavored shortening that I got really cold in the freezer. I rolled it out between two sheets of wax paper to avoid adding more flour, since that will make your pie dough tough. It was sooooo beautiful and wonderful, and I also added 2 tsps of sugar to it, to give it a sweetness. OMG thank you for the recipe!

This recipe is exactly like a recipe I found in a 1940's cookbook. This recipe makes pie crusts simple. If you have time to refrigerate the dough after it is mixed, it will roll out better. Also, using cheese cloth under the dough to roll it out will prevent sticking plus help you put it in a pie plate. One more hint I found in that cookbook. Glass pie plates will bake more evenly than metal.

First thing's first: this is not a good double crust pie. I would not recommend this AT ALL for fruit pies. However, it's an excellent single crust for custard and cream pies and my favorite for pumpkin pie. It will come out flaky and soft and dry on the bottom for a great tasting pie and it holds up well for presentation and serving. It's best not to overwork the dough and if it's too sticky or dry, you can adjust the flour and water some and still come out with a great crust. I prefer to cut the dough not like course crumbs but like pea or hazelnut sized pieces and then blend the water. This makes the dough stick together better when kneaded and folded. I also keep the edges of the pie covered for the duration of the cooking time. The crust is baked through and tastes good so you won't be scraping pie crust edges of of company's plates.

I also was disappointed that the recipe directions did not include baking instructions; the type of pie I made (Lemon Meringue) required a pre-baked crust. Using the directions from a very similar pie crust recipe in a cookbook I have, I baked the crust at 475 degrees for about 8-10 minutes.