Q1: Why is my pie crust tough?

The most common culprits are overworking the dough or not using cold enough ingredients. Be sure to stop pulsing your dough as soon as it comes together, and make sure your butter and water are ice cold!

Q2: Can I make this with all butter?

Yes, absolutely! An all-butter crust has a fantastic flavor. To make an all-butter version, simply substitute the 1/3 cup of shortening with an equal amount of cold, unsalted butter (about 5 1/3 tablespoons). An all-butter crust will be slightly less tender than one made with a combination of fats.

Q3: Can I make this by hand without a food processor?

Of course! This is the classic, old-fashioned method. Simply use a pastry blender or two knives to cut the cold fats into your flour mixture until you have the same, pea-sized pieces.

Q4: My crust shrunk in the pan when I baked it. What happened?

Shrinking is almost always because the dough was not allowed to rest for long enough. The chilling time is crucial for allowing the gluten in the dough to relax.

Q5: What is the best way to roll out my dough without it sticking?

The secret is to work on a well-floured surface, and to keep both your rolling pin and the surface of your dough lightly floured. It is also a great trick to rotate your dough a quarter turn after every few rolls to ensure it is not sticking.

Only Perfect Pie Crust Recipe You'll Ever Need

Only Perfect Pie Crust Recipe You’ll Ever Need (Flaky & Foolproof!)

A classic, from-scratch recipe for a ‘Perfect Pie Crust.’ This recipe uses a food processor for a quick and easy method to create a flaky, tender dough. A combination of very cold butter and vegetable shortening is cut into a flour, salt, and sugar mixture. Ice water is then added to bring the dough together. The recipe yields enough dough for one double-crust 9-inch pie, perfect for both sweet and savory fillings.

Author: Evelyn

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter, diced
1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water

Instructions

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator to ensure it stays very cold.
Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to combine.
Add the cold 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 just until the dough begins to form a ball. Do not over-process.
Dump the dough out onto a floured board and gently form it into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to chill and rest the gluten.
When ready to use, cut the dough in half. On a well-floured board, roll each half into a circle large enough to fit a 9-inch pie pan.
Place one circle of dough into the pie pan for the bottom crust, and use the other for the top crust.

Notes

This is a versatile pie crust that can be used for both sweet and savory pies.
Using very cold butter, shortening, and ice water is the most crucial step for creating a flaky crust. The cold fat creates steam pockets as the pie bakes.
A food processor makes this recipe very quick, but it can also be made by hand using a pastry blender or your fingers to cut in the fat.
Do not overwork the dough, as this will develop the gluten and make the crust tough instead of tender and flaky.
The recipe makes enough dough for a double-crust 9-inch pie.

Find it online: https://cookupjoy.com/perfect-pie-crust-recipe-youll-ever-need/