Old-Fashioned Pie Crust (A Foolproof Classic!)
A classic, old-fashioned recipe for a large batch of homemade pie crust, attributed to ‘Ruth’s Grandma.’ This simple dough is made with flour, shortening, sugar, salt, and an egg. It’s blended together and then chilled until ready for use. Using all shortening creates a very tender, flaky crust.
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cups shortening
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 egg
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, shortening, sugar, and salt.
- Blend the ingredients together with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture is crumbly and resembles coarse meal.
- In a small bowl, mix the egg with the water.
- Pour the egg and water mixture into the flour mixture. Blend with a fork or your hands until the dough just comes together. Do not overmix.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal balls (enough for two double-crust pies), flatten each into a disk, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30-60 minutes, or until ready to use.
Notes
- This is a very large batch of pie dough, enough for two 9-inch double-crust pies or four 9-inch single-crust pies.
- Using a pastry cutter (or your fingers) to work the cold shortening into the flour is key to creating a flaky texture.
- Do not overwork the dough once the liquid is added, as this will make the crust tough. Mix only until the ingredients are just combined.
- The dough must be chilled for at least 30-60 minutes to rest the gluten and make it easier to roll out without shrinking.
Find it online: https://cookupjoy.com/old-fashioned-pie-crust-2/