Best Flaky Pie Crust
 
 
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Ingredients
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
  • 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, sliced into ¼-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons crisco vegetable shortening, cut into 3 pieces
  • 4 tablespoons cold water
  • *Make this recipe twice if making a fruit pie with pastry on top.
Instructions
  1. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse for 5 seconds to blend.
  2. Add the butter and shortening squares. Pulse until you have coarse, pea sized crumbs, this will take about 10-15 one-second pulses, depending on your food processor.
  3. Add the water gradually, pulse until the mixture is evenly moistened and clumping together, approximately 7 to 10 one-second pulses.
  4. Sprinkle flour on your work surface and pour the crumbly dough out then gently push together, forming a ball.
  5. Gently pat the dough flat into a 5-inch wide disc then wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes or up to 3 days.
  6. Dust your work surface lightly with flour. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow it to warm just enough to roll out. Using a wooden rolling pin dusted with flour, roll out the dough, turning often. Add a dusting of more flour to the work surface as needed so it doesn’t stick, until you have a 13-inch circle.
  7. Fold the end of the dough over your rolling pin then transfer it to a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan.
  8. Gently fit the dough into your glass pin pan (I use a fluted Emile Henry) leaving pastry hanging over the edge. If needed, trim the edges to ½-inch beyond the lip of the pie pan. Place the crust in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes while you make your apple pie filling.
  9. Brush the edges of the pastry dough with an egg and water mixture (as written in the Apple Pie recipe below, two eggs whisked with one tablespoon water) . Fill chilled pastry with the apple pie mixture then rollout the second pastry disk, laying it over top of the apple filled pie. Trim excess pastry dough around the rim, tuck under then press with a fork or your fingers to seal. Bake as directed in your pie recipe.
  10. If your crust requires blind baking, preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the crust from the refrigerator and cover with a piece of parchment paper. Poke a few holes in the center of the crust with a fork. Fill least halfway full with uncooked, dried beans. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is pale and partially cooked. Remove the parchment and dried beans/pie weights and proceed with your custard or lemon meringue pie recipe.
  11. If freezing, the pie crust dough discs can be frozen for up to 3 months wrapped tightly in a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil. When using, thaw the dough overnight in the fridge.
Recipe by Just a Smidgen at https://justasmidgen.com/2022/10/11/sweet-deep-dish-apple-pie/