by Marijane Suttor

Created on: August 06, 2008   Last Updated: June 08, 2009

Homemade pie may seem like a complex task, but it actually is not a difficult dessert to make. The key is to make a simple pie crust. There are great pie fillings on the market, so by making a great crust, the rest of the pie comes along easily and tastes fantastic.

This is an old faithful basic pastry for a great pie.

1 cup of flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening

Ice water.

1) Mix flour and salt. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender until the flour/salt/shortening becomes the size of small peas.

2) Ice water is a key component of a successful pie crust. The water needs to be very cold. This is important as you don't want warm water or stirring to break down the shortening beads that were already created. It is these shortening beads that melt during baking that create those flaky little pockets that we all enjoy in the best pie crusts.

3) Add ice water one tablespoon at a time mixing with a fork. When the mixture begins to form a ball and leaves the sides of the bowl, enough water has been added. It should not be sticky. Then you have added too much. It also should not be crumbly or falling apart. It should stick together.

4) Form the dough into a ball, cover and chill for about 30 minutes. This will help to keep the shortening beads in tact while rolling out the dough.

5) Using a rolling pin, roll pastry between two sheets of floured waxed paper to the size of the pie pan. fold the dough in half and place on the pie pan. Do not over roll the dough or add too much flour as that will make the crust heavy. Do not stretch. Trim the edges to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Fold under and flute the edges to make an attractive edge.

6) If the crust is to be baked and then filled use a fork to prick the crust to prevent bubbles and bake at 425 degrees until golden brown. If a two crust pie is desired you will need to double the ingredients.

This is a never fail pie crust recipe. This is for a single crust. It is easily multiplied if more crusts are needed.

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