Things You'll Need:
- Pie plate
- 4 cups flour
- 1 3/4 cup lard (you can also use Crisco or butter)
- 2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp. vinegar
- 1/2 cup ice water
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Step 1
Turn oven on to 375 degrees F.
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Step 2
In a bowl, sift to combine flour, salt and sugar together. Add lard by pieces and mix until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of fat.
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Step 3
In a separate bowl, combine vinegar, egg, ice water and cream of tartar and whisk until whipped. Slowly add wet mixture to dry ingredients and gently combine together with your hands.
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Step 4
Remove dough from bowl and place in a mound on a clean surface. Gently shape it into into 2 or 4 discs. Do not knead the dough. Over handling the dough is your worst enemy. The less you handle it, the more tender, light, flaky and delicious it will be.
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Step 5
Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
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Step 6
After the crust has chilled, remove one disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before rolling. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle. The crust should be about an 1/8 of an inch thick.
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Step 7
Carefully place onto a 9-inch pie plate and press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Fold the edges under and crimp.
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Step 8
Brush the crust with an egg wash and bake at 375 degrees F until just browned. Makes 4 single crusts.
