Single Crust Plain Pastry for Pies or Mini Crust
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp shortening
- 2 - 3 tbsp cold water
Step-by-Step Instructions
- In a glass mixing bowl, combine the salt and flour. Cut half of the shortening into the flour with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Then add the remaining shortening until the particles are the size of small peas.
- Add the water a little at a time, mixing lightly with a fork. Shape the dough into a firm ball with the hands.
- Roll out on a lightly floured board (cloth covered preferable). Place loosely in a 9 inch pan and cut 1 inch larger than the pan.
- Fold edge under. Moisten the rim of the pan. Flute the edge. For BAKED pastry prick the sides and bottom of the pastry with a fork to prevent shrinkage.
- Bake at 475 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly brown.
Common Problems and Solutions
Q: Why is my pie crust tough instead of flaky?
A: Overworking the dough develops gluten, which makes it tough. Mix just until the dough comes together, and handle it as little as possible. Cold water and keeping the shortening cold also help maintain flakiness.
Q: Why does my crust shrink when baking?
A: Make sure to prick the bottom and sides thoroughly with a fork before baking. Also avoid stretching the dough when placing it in the pan—let it fall loosely into place.
Q: How do I prevent a soggy bottom crust?
A: For filled pies, you can blind bake the crust partially (about 5-7 minutes) before adding wet fillings. Pricking it with a fork helps release steam during baking.
Tips and Techniques
Keep all ingredients cold—especially the water and shortening. Work quickly to prevent the shortening from warming up. The key to a flaky crust is having small pieces of fat distributed throughout that create steam pockets when baking.
Ingredient Substitutions
- shortening: butter or lard
- cold water: ice water or cold milk
Equipment Needed
- pastry blender
- rolling pin
- 9-inch pie pan
- fork
