Standard Pie Crust

8 or 9 inch ONE CRUST PIE

1 cup all purpose flour*

½ tsp salt

1/3 cup plus 1 Tablespoon shortening or 1/3 cup lard

2 to 3 Tablespoons cold water

10 inch ONE CRUST PIE

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour*

½ tsp salt

½ cup shortening or ¼ cup plus 3 Tablespoons lard

3 to 4 Tablespoons cold water

8 or 9 inch TWO CRUST PIE

2 cups all purpose flour*

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cups plus 2 Tablespoons shortening or 2/3 cup lard

4 to 5 Tablespoons cold water

10 inch TWO CRUST PIE

2 2/3 cups flour*

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup shortening or ¾ cups plus 2 Tablespoons of lard

7 to 8 Tablespoons of cold water

*Do Not Use self-rising flour in this recipe!

Measure flour and salt into bowl. Using 2 knives or a pastry cutter, cut in shortening or lard until mixture looks like meal. Sprinkle in cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time until all flour is moistened and dough almost cleans side of bowl. Add more water if needed but do so sparingly. For a perfect crust, set bowl in fridge for a few minutes to chill.

Remove from fridge, gather dough into a ball and place on floured counter top or table. Roll with flour dusted rolling pin to 2 inches larger than inverted pie pan. (For a 2 crust pie, divide dough in half using one half for bottom crust and one for top crust.) Fold pastry into quarters and place in pan. Unfold and ease gently into place.

For a One-Crust Pie: Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pan. Fold and roll pastry under, even with pan. Flute edges.

For a Baked Pie Shell: Prick bottom and sides thoroughly with a fork. Bake at 475 degrees F for 8-10 minutes.

For a 2 Crust Pie: Turn desired filling into pastry-lined pan. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pan. Roll second round of dough. Cut slits so steam can escape; fold into quarters and unfold over filling. Trim overhanging edge of pastry to inch from rim. Roll and fold under and crimp or flute to form pretty edge of crust. Cover edge with 2 to 3 inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking. Bake as directed in recipe.

Note: if possible, hook fluted edge over edge of pie pan to prevent shrinking and help keep shape.