Never Fail Pie Crust

When our kids were little, money was tight, and there wasn't always room in the budget for treats.

I figured out that if I got excited about something, I could make my family think it was a huge deal, and they would get excited too.

I always had flour, shortening, salt, sugar, and cinnamon on hand, so making pie crust was a "treat" we could afford.

Still today, when I make a pie, the kids fight over who gets the crust, and rarely does their dad get any.

Tools needed:

Bowl

Measuring cups and spoons

Fork or pastry knife

Rolling pin

Ingredients for a single pie crust :

1 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour

1/3 cup of shortening

1/2 teaspoon of salt

3-4 tablespoons of ice water

Ingredients for a double pie crust:

2 cups of all-purpose flour

2/3 cup of shortening

1 teaspoon of salt

6-7 tablespoons of water

Directions:

In a bowl, add your flour and salt, stir with a fork to mix well. Using the fork, pastry knife, or your hands, cut in the shortening until you get the consistency of kinetic sand. Next, add your water, take your fork, and mix the water in. Use your hands to completely incorporate the water and form the dough. This should be mixed "clean," which means the dough doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl.

Put a small amount of flour on a flat surface, place your dough ball on the flour, and sprinkle some more on top.

Use the rolling pin to flatten out the dough. You want it to be bigger than your pie plate.

When your dough is big enough, roll it up towards you, place your pie plate next to the dough and roll your cust into the plate.

If you are making a single pie crust for a pumpkin or a meringue pie, this is when you would pinch the edges using your thumbs and index fingers. This will help your crust edge stick to the plate so it doesn't shrink when you bake it.