This is my go-to pie crust recipe for everything from apple pie to turkey pot pie. It’s very simple and comes out great every time. This recipe will yield a double crust for a 9″ pie pan.
Now, there are a couple of ground rules when it comes to pie crust.
1. Touch the dough as little as possible. I use a pastry cutter. I highly recommend getting one. They aren’t expensive.
2. Cold ingredients = flaky crust. If we were using butter, that would mean cold butter. Since we’re using shortening, that means ice water. Go ahead and fill a cup with ice water ahead of time so the water is nice and cold when you’re ready to use it.
No Fuss Pie Crust
2 c. All Purpose Flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 c. shortening
6 Tbsp ice water
Sift the flour and salt together into a large mixing bowl.
Cut half of the shortening into the flour (1/3 c.) until it resembles course corn meal. There shouldn’t be any noticeable clumps.
Cut in the other half of shortening (1/3 c.) until it resembles peas. You want the shortening to be well incorporated into the dough, but you don’t want it to be over mixed.
Now, add your ice water a little at a time. The recipe says 6 Tbsp, but I never measure it. I pour it in about 1-2 Tbsp at a time and work in with a fork (remember, avoid touching with your hands) until the dough just starts to come together.
When it just starts to hold together in a ball, you have enough water. In fact, a few crumbs may still linger. You don’t want your dough to be too wet, it’ll just be a mess to work with. If it does end up too wet, refrigerate it for a little while to firm it up before working with it.