Make Ahead Pie Crust | Long Distance Baking
My mother is a firm believer that every woman needs to know how to make homemade pie crust, that it is a necessary skill for life. Problem was, she didn’t have a good recipe! Not that the pie crusts were ever bad, they just weren’t that perfect flaky crust everyone craves. Lucky for us, the mom of one of my friends is practically famous for her pies (as famous as you can be in a town with less than 3,000 people…). My mom spent one day with her learning her secrets, and has since passed it along to my sister and I.
It’s a very simple recipe, but it’s one of those you have to “get the feel for”…which can be tricky at times. The important thing is to not incorporate the shortening all the way. You really want those chunks of butter (yum) to create the nice flakiness of the crust. You also only want to add just enough water that the dough sticks together.
The nice thing is the recipe makes 4 pie crusts: some for now, and some to freeze for later. With Thanksgiving right around the corner now is the perfect time to get started on your baking. And once you make your own, you’ll never go back to store-bought crusts again!
~Stephanie
p.s. apple pie recipe to come later!
Ingredients
- 4 c flour
- 1 3/4 c butter flavored Crisco
- 1/2 tsp salt
- ice water (I put water in the freezer while I get my other ingredients ready. Amount varies, usually ends up around 1/2-1 cup)
Directions
- Combine flour and salt
- Cut Crisco into flour with hands. Crisco will break up slightly, but leave chunky
- Add water a little at a time, mixing gently with hands. Continue to add water until dough sticks together and can form a ball
- Divide dough into 4 equal parts. (You can wrap those you won’t be using and store in freezer for later)
- Roll out dough and bake per recipe direction