Pie Crust

This is a pie crust recipe that is made with very basic ingredients that you have on hand. I have been making it for many years, to be honest, decades. It is a recipe that has been handed down for many generations.

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Desserts

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 50

Dough Chilling Time: 2

Total Time: 3 20

Servings: servings

Calories: 340kcal

Equipment

1 Deep Dish Pie Plate
1 Large Bowl
1 Rolling Pin
1 Knife or Scissors
1 Pie shield or Aluminum Foil
Pastry Cutter, Fork, or Food Processor
1 Baking Sheet or pie drip catcher

Ingredients

2 cup All-purpose flour
1 cup Lard or shortening
½ cup Water
¼ tsp Salt

Instructions

In a large bowl or in the food processor put in 2 cups of flour and the lard/shortening.
In a small bowl, dissolve the salt in the hot water. Add to the flour and lard/shortening.
You can either use a pastry cutter, fork or a food processor to mix the pie crust ingredients until fully mixed together. The dough will be sticky.
Using your hands divide the dough into 2 doughballs. Place in the refrigerator to chill for about 2 hours or overnight.
To roll out the dough, flour the work surface, flour the rolling pin, and your hands. Put some flour on the dough ball and flatten it with your hands and begin rolling. Continue to flour your surface, the rolling pin, and the dough to prevent sticking. Roll out the dough until it is large enough to fit your pie plate with about a half inch or more hanging over the pie plate edge.
To lift your pie crust to place it in your pie plate, gently roll it onto your rolling pin, move it over the pie plate, center it, and unroll the pie crust from the rolling pin placing it where it needs to be in the pie plate as you unroll it.
Roll out the top crust, but do not lift it yet. Let it stay on your work surface until the filling has been put on the bottom crust.
To lift your top pie crust, gently roll it onto your rolling pin, move it over the pie filling centering it, and unroll the piecrust from the rolling pin placing it over the filling as you unroll it.
Cut the edges of the pie crust to be as wide as the edge of the pie plate. The crust should not be wider than your pie plate. Using your fingers or a fork, crimp the edges of the pie crust together pinching them to prevent them from separating and shrinking during baking.
Cut vent holes in the top crust.
Using your fingers lightly brush the top crust with water. The crust should be lightly damp. The water is to make the sugar hold. Then sprinkle with sugar.
Using aluminum foil or a pie crust shield, cover the crust edges. If using foil tear foil into three pieces that are 1-2 inched long. Fold it lightly over the crimped crust. This prevents the crust edges from burning but allows the top crust to get a beautiful golden brown during baking.
Place a sheet of foil in the oven or put your pie plate on a baking sheet. This prevents the pie from cooking over into the oven.
Bake according to your recipe. Remove the foil or pie shield from the crust about 10 minutes before the end of your baking time.

Notes

Nutritional information is an estimate. It will vary based the brands of ingredients used and on your cooking methods.

Nutrition