Classic Crisco pie crust

By á-60621

Ingredients

• Single crust:
• 1 1/3 cups flour
• One half teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, well chilled
• 3 to 6 tablespoons ice cold water
• Double crust:
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup vegetable shortening chilled
• 4-8 tablespoons ice cold water
• for a deep dish double crust, add an additional 2/3 cup flour and 1/4 cup shortening

Preparation

Step 1

Blend felt flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add small bits of shortening at a time, cutting in with a pastry blender, in an up-and-down chopping motion, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some small pea sized pieces remaining.
Sprinkle half the maximum recommended amount of water over the flour mixture. Using a fork stir and draw flour from bottom of bowl to the top, distributing moisture evenly into flour. Press chunks down to bottom of the bowl with fork. Add more water by the table spoon until dough is moist enough to hold together when pressed together.
Test the dough for proper moistness by squeezing a marble sized ball of dough in your hand, and if it holds together do not add any additional water. If the dough crumbles, add more water by the table spoon.
Shape dough into a ball/balls. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes or up to two days.
Role between two sheets of waxed paper.
For a pre-baked crust, thoroughly prick the bottom and sides of the unbaked pie dough with a fork to prevent it from blistering. Bake crust in lower third of the oven at 425° for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges and bottom are golden brown.