How to Make an Award-Winning Pie Crust

Pie crust should be soft and flaky.

An award-winning pie deserves an award-winning pie crust, and you can create just such a pie crust by using a few simple tricks. An ideal pie crust should be soft and flaky. You can accomplish this by using both cold butter and shortening to bind the flour. Cold butter keeps the pie crust flaky, and the shortening helps prevent the dough from being tough. By using a mixture of both fats, you can also create a deliciously flavored pie crust.

Things You'll Need

• 1 cup cake flour
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ tsp. sugar
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. baking powder
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 5 tbsp. shortening
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp. white vinegar
• 4 ice cubes
• ½ cup very cold water
• Food processor
• Measuring cup
• Bowl
• Pie plate

Instructions

1. Place the shortening and butter into the freezer for 15 minutes to make sure they are very cold.

2. Mix both flours, sugar, baking powder and salt in a food processor. Add half the butter and shortening to the processor and pulse intermittently for one minute. If necessary, scrape down the sides of the mixer to incorporate all the ingredients.

3. Add the rest of the shortening and butter and cut in to the flour mixture. You should have chunks the size of peas when the ingredients are properly mixed.

4. Mix the egg yolk, water, vinegar and ice cubes in the measuring cup and chill for five minutes.

5. Slowly mix the flour mixture with the egg mixture. The best way to do this is to add a few tablespoons of the egg mixture at a time and gently stir with a fork. To make an outstanding pie crust, you don't want to overmix the dough.

6. Chill for 20 minutes before rolling the pie crust and placing it into the pie tin to bake according to your recipe.

References

• "Aunt Eleanor's Never Fail Pie Crust and Classic Pie Recipes"; Julie A. Propp, Mary E Wright"; 2010
• "Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies"; Mollie Cox Bryan; 2009
• "Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts: 150 Recipes for Old-Fashioned and Modern Favorites"; Martha Stewart; 2011
• "Pie & Tart (Williams-Sonoma Collection)"; Carolyn Beth Weil and Chuck Williams; 2003
• "The Pie and Pastry Bible"; Rose Levy Beranbaum; 1998