Basic Pie Crust - single or deep dish

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening, chilled
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water
• 9 1/2 tablespoons shortening, chilled
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 to 4 1/2 tablespoons ice water

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix flour and salt in a medium-sized bowl.

2. 2

   With a pastry cutter, cut the chilled shortening into the flour until it's the size of small peas. You could optionally use a fork and knife.

3. 3

   Sprinkle ice water 1 tablespoon at a time over the mixture and mix in with a fork. Continue to add water until the dough comes together. If the dough seems extra dry, add an another tablespoon of water.

4. 4

   Bring the dough into a ball and place on well floured wax paper. Shape the dough into a disk about 2" thick.

5. 5

   Flour a rolling pin and roll out the dough to fit a 9" pie pan.

6. 6

   Place dough in pie pan. Flute or crimp edges.

7. 7

   Fill and bake according to pie recipe.

8. 8

   To par bake (aka 'blind bake'), pierce the bottom and sides a few times with a fork. Place a square of foil or sheet of parchment paper that is slightly larger than the pie plate over the dough. Fill halfway with pie weights or dry beans. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes until slightly brown. Remove pie weights, add filling and continue to bake at specified temperature.

9. 9

   To bake completely before adding a no-bake filling, follow directions for par bake. Then remove foil or parchment and weights, reduce heat to 375° and bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden brown.