Moms Flaky Pie Crust Originally From Grandma Alices Craftiness Food

GRANDMA'S PERFECT PIE CRUST

Steps:

• In a medium bowl stir together flour and salt. With a pastry blender cut in shortening till pea-sized.
• Sprinkle water on one tablespoon at a time tossing with a fork. Push moistened dough to the side. Mix till all flour is moistened. Don't mix too much or the crust will be hard.
• Form into a ball and roll out on the floured surface. Turn and flour the dough a few times till it's the size you need.

MOM'S PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Combine flour and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. Cut butter into tablespoon pieces; add it to the flour and butter. Use the paddle beater to cut the butter and flour together. Alternatively, this can be done by hand with a pastry blender.
• With the mixer on low speed , or while stirring the mixture with a fork, pour in the cold water. When the dough starts to clump, and before it turns into a ball, stop stirring.
• Lightly knead dough in the bowl until it forms a ball. Divide dough into two parts. Flatten each part into a disk, and chill for about 30 minutes before rolling.

GRANDMOTHER'S SUPER FLAKY PIE CRUST

Steps:

• preheat oven to 350 F degrees (Fahreinheit).
• pour flour into medium bowl, add margarine using pastry blender (or crisscrossing with knives) until lumps are slightly smaller than pea-size.
• Add water. mix gently with fork until dough comes away from the sides of bowl. (you may need more water) be very gentle, and try not to mix too much.
• transfer half of dough to a sheet of wax paper lightly sprinkled with flour. sprinkle a little flour onto top of pie dough.
• cover pie dough with another sheet of wax paper.
• roll out so the pie crust is level, and not too thick in one place, or too thin in another. (about 11 or 12 inches in diameter).
• peel off top layer of wax paper from dough, and place pie pan on top of dough. carefully slide your hand underneath bottom layer of wax paper, and flip.
• Then,carefully peel the wax paper from pie dough, and ease into pan.
• repeat steps 4-8 with other half of dough.
• Bake for 15 min, or so or until golden brown in color.
• Fill with any pie filling!

MY MOM'S FLAKY PIE CRUST

Steps:

• 1. Pour 2 cups flour into a mixing bowl. Add sugar and salt and stir. Add 1 cup shortening. With pastry cutter, cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles sand.
• 2. Add 1/4 cup of milk at first. Sometimes you will use the full 1/2 cup of milk and sometimes not depending on time of year and humidity, etc. With a large fork (I like to use a large serving fork for example) stir until it "comes together" and STOP! Over mixing is what causes a tough dough. With floured hands, form a dough ball then flatten a bit into a "disc". Wrap in plastic wrap and set in fridge for about 20-30 minutes to rest and allow the dough to relax, making it easier to roll.
• 3. During the last 10 minutes of resting, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. When ready, on a well floured surface (you can use less flour if you have one of those pastry discs with a pastry cover on it) roll dough out to whatever shape you need it for the pan or pie plate you are using. "Dock" the crust (poke holes in it with a fork, toothpick or other utensil to make small steam release holes) before baking, usually bakes for about 25 minutes if you are using for a no-bake pie filling to add in afterwards. For crusts that bake with the filling, follow your recipe's instructions.
• 4. This recipe makes enough dough for a double crust pie but I love crust so much that I sometimes use 3/4 of the dough for a thicker crust then roll out the remaining dough, cut into strips and sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar and bake, making YUMMY treats!
• 5. Why not butter? Butter gives good flavor but makes crust hard/crunchy not light & flaky. Shortening really is the key. I've known people to combine both like: 3/4 shortening to 1/4 butter but I stick with mom's success! I suppose butter flavor shortening would work.

MOM'S FLAKY PIE CRUST (ORIGINALLY FROM GRANDMA ALICE’S CRAFTINESS)

Steps:

• 1. Use pastry blender to blend all ingredients until it has a texture like fine beads or little grains, smaller than pea size 2. Prepare an ice water mixture 3. Use 3 Tbsp. of ice water 4. Use hands to incorporate water. Clump together with palms manipulating dough as little as possible. It should basically be 1 ball, a few straggling crumbs are fine 5. If the dough won't clump together easily add more water 1 tsp at a time. Be careful, if you add too much water there will be no way to save the dough Note-Do not work dough. It'll make the dough bake hard and cracker-like and will not be delicious. Just get it to be all 1 ball and leave it alone 6. On a large working surface, put down 1 sheet of waxed paper, put half the dough in the center of that sheet and press another sheet of waxed paper over that 7. Begin to roll dough between the waxed paper rolling from center to edge, flipping crust and waxed papers over together and roll on other side 8. If you get creases in your crust from the waxed paper, carefully lift one sheet and place it back on after rotating it-so the wrinkles won't be in the same spot-and keep rolling until it is about 1/8" thick 9. When it is 1/8" thick, remove one sheet of waxed paper, place the pie crust in a clean pie dish and carefully mold it to the dish with the waxed paper still on the inside (side that will be against the filling) IMPORTANT: Make sure there are no bubbles between dough and dish! Otherwise, when baking the air within will expand and explode ruining it 10. Finally peel away waxed paper and trim edge 11. Make upper crust in the same way 12. Fill bottom crust with desired filling 13. Lay upper crust on top, remove waxed paper and pinch edges to finish 14. Bake according to filling-recipe's instructions. You don't need to pre-bake unless the filling-recipe says to Note: Using the waxed paper really is easy, and your crust NEVER breaks this way, and it NEVER has a chance to stick to your rolling pin!