All these years, I thought I had my stand-by pie crust recipe here on my site, but a quick search didn't turn it up (and I refuse to search for longer than oh, 2 seconds! Ha) so I wanted to be sure it was here for my oldest daughter to easily find, as well as my son and younger daughter too, now that all three will be 'out of the nest' as of this Fall.
This is a recipe I've been making for almost 20 years. It's quick and easy, it's pretty much fool proof, and it tastes great as well as having a nice texture. I'm actually more of a pie 'crust' kind of a person moreso than the filling. So this crust sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar is more of a treat for me than a whole slice of pie would be as it's a food I remember my Mom making with the extra scraps of leftover pie crust when I was only 3 and 4 years old.
Quick and Easy Perfect Pie Crust
2 c flour
1 t salt
3/4 c mixture of shortening (Crisco) and butter
4-5 T ice water
In a food processor, place the flour, salt and a mixture of about 1/2 cup shortening and 1/4 cup butter (you can use all shortening, all butter, or a mixture of both, but I like these amounts for a flaky, tender crust from the shortening with the stability and flavor of the butter). Pulse a few times just to make a crumbly mix. With the machine running on low, drizzle ICE cold water thru the feeder tube just until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides. This usually takes about 3-4 tablespoons but could be less or more depending on the brand of flour, the humidity, the exact amount of flour used, etc. Now split into 2 disks and chill for about 20 minutes to make them easier to work with. Roll out on a lightly floured surface. This makes 2 bottom crusts or 1 top and 1 bottom crust. Bake according to your pie recipe.
Stop adding water and pulsing as soon as it forms a ball
One disk of dough
An easy way to do a top crust; lay the rolled out crust over all
Gently roll the excess to the edge of your pie
Either seal the edges by pressing with a fork or by pinching to form a waved crust
I just go around the outside pinching the dough between my fingers
For this pie I sprinkled the top with cinnamon and sugar before baking
You might also be interested in;
Perfect Pies: The Best Sweet and Savory Recipes from America's Pie-Baking Champion
Pyrex Easy Grab, 9.5 Inch, Pie Plate
HIC Ceramic Rose's Perfect Pie Plate, Rose
