Old Fashioned Pie Crust Makes 3 Crusts Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix flour and salt. Add lard using a pastry cutter until well blended. Add water all at once and using a fork, gently stir until dough comes together in a big ball. You may need to add water a little at a time if the flour doesn't form into a ball. You don't want any wet spots in the dough though. Tip: To me it feels like play-dough when it is the perfect density.
• 2. Divide into 3 balls. Form into disks and let rest for about 10 minutes. Using rolling pin roll dough out into circles until large enough to cover pie pan. Put dough in pan and trim edges. Prick all over with a fork so that the crust doesn't bubble as it bakes. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes or until edge is light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely before filling.
• 3. If using a filling that needs to be baked in the crust, follow the directions in that recipe once the dough has been placed into the pie pan. Do not prick the dough before adding filling if it will be going into the oven to bake with filling in it. Cover top of filling with one of the crusts if a double crust is needed.
• 4. I like this recipe because it makes enough crust to use in a 9 x 13 pan for a cobbler or chicken pot pie with a double crust.

Steps:

• Whisk flour with salt in a bowl; use a fork to stir in vegetable oil. Mix in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, before adding more water. Gather dough into a ball, divide in half, and roll out on a floured work surface.

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, and sugar until well combined. Using clean hands or pastry cutter, add butter and toss until just coated. Cut butter into flour mixture until butter is in butterbean sized pieces and comes together in 1 inch clumps when squeezed, about 2 minutes. Add shortening, toss until just coated in flour, then rub into flour mixture until mixture forms pea-size pieces (some big chunks should remain) and comes together in fist-sized clumps when squeezed, about 1 minute.
• 2. Drizzle in half ice water and rake through mixture with fingers until just moistened. Drizzle in remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time and comb through mixture with fingers to moisten. It will go from being grizzly sticky mess to coming together. Dough is moist enough when it is moistened through but is not wet when pressed.
• 3. Lord don't mash the dough to death or it will be tougher than an ex con. Gather into a ball. Turn dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, press it into a flat disk, then close in wrap. Place in coldest part of refrigerator (usually back bottom shelf) at least 30 minutes before rolling out and forming into a crust.
• 4. If it seems to be a bit warmer than it should when rolling, stop, put everything in the fridge for about 15 minutes. Then start again.