Impossibly Easy Pie Crust Recipes

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the flour and salt; cut in shortening until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle with vinegar. Gradually add the milk, tossing with a fork until a ball is formed. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or until easy to handle. , For a single crust, roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface to fit a 9-in. or 10-in. pie plate. Transfer pastry to pie plate. Trim pastry 1/2 in. beyond edge of plate; flute edges. Fill or bake shell according to recipe directions., For a double crust, divide pastry in two portions so that one ball is slightly larger than the other. Roll out larger ball on a lightly floured surface to fit a 9-in. or 10-in. pie plate. Transfer pastry to pie plate. Trim pastry even with edge of plate. Add filling. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in top. Bake according to recipe directions.

Steps:

• Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.

Steps:

• Combine flour and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Gradually add ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed., Shape dough into a disk for a single-crust pie; for a double-crust pie, divide dough in 2 with 1 piece slightly larger than the other. Shape into 2 disks. Wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight., On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 disk of dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. , For a single-crust pie: Trim crust to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Fill or bake according to recipe directions., For a double-crust pie: Add filling to pie. Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top. Bake according to recipe directions.

Steps:

• Combine flour, salt, and butter in a food processor. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 1-second pulses.
• Stir water and vinegar in a small bowl.
• Pour half the ice water and vinegar mixture into the flour and butter mixture. Pulse to combine, about 3 (1-second) pulses. Pour in remaining ice water and vinegar mixture. Pulse until mixture just starts to come together, about 8 (1-second) pulses.
• Turn dough out onto a wooden surface, pat into round shape and divide in half. Form each half into a disc about 5 inches wide.
• Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until ready to use.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. Grease 9-inch pie plate. Heat 1 inch salted water to boiling in medium saucepan. Add broccoli; cover and heat to boiling. Cook about 5 minutes or until almost tender; drain thoroughly. Stir together cooked broccoli, onion, bell pepper and cheese in pie plate.
• Stir remaining ingredients until blended. Pour into pie plate.
• Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place all ingredients in 9 inch pie pan. Stir together with fork. Pat mixture into bottom and up the sides of the pan. Poke holes in bottom and side of crust.
• Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until light brown. Use as directed in favorite pie recipe.

Steps:

• Sift all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
• Using a fork, two knives, your fingers or a pastry blender, cut the lard into the flour mixture until the lard is completely incorporated to small pea sized pieces.
• *Work quickly, as it is important that the lard stay cold, and not begin melting. Cold lard means flaky pastry. Melt-y lard means mushy gross pastry. Keep that in mind.*.
• In a small bowl, beat egg and vinegar with a 1/2 cup of cold water.
• * The egg will help to "raise" the dough as it cooks. Not everyone uses egg in their pastry. I do. This is why you WON'T fail here.*.
• Drizzle your COLD water/ egg mixture (remember the cold lard?) into the flour/ lard and using your free hand and a fork, "pull" the dry ingredients from the outer edge of the bowl towards the drizzle of liquid.
• When you have gotten all the Egg/ water in, squish the dough down lightly to "force" the dry and wet together more.
• * Do this without kneeding. Don't kneed. I forbid this action.*.
• Flip the dough over, exposing the dry bits on the bottom of the bowl. Drizzle a small portion of the left over cold water to dampen the dry ingredients.
• Fold the dough over on itself 1 time, and push firmly into the bottom of the bowl.
• * remember what I said about kneeding? Still don't do it.*.
• Using your fingers, imagine a 'cross' on the top of the dough, marking four (4) sections apart.
• Lay out four (4) sheets of plastic wrap, and place one (1) section of the dough on each sheet of the wrap, wrapping tightly, and squishing into a disc. Put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to 'refirm' the lard.
• When your dough has solidified again, but you can still roll it, unwrap your plastic wrap, and lay it out flat. Place another piece of plastic on top, sandwiching the dough between them. Using your rolling pin, simply turn, roll, turn, roll until you have the size/ thickness you like.
• * Because you used the plastic wrap, you also don't have to scrape a bunch of sticky pastry dough off your counter or table. Awesome.*.
• I included "Cooking" time as the "Fridge" time.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough in half, and shape into balls. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
• Roll out dough on a floured counter. Don't over work it. Use as directed in pie recipe.