Perfect Pie Crust

 I have terribly patient parents. When I think of the number of times I tried to make something and it didn't work out I just shake my head in amazement. Pie crust is one of those things. I had this idea that I could make really good pie crust and I chased it for a really long time.

 It would always start with out sweet neighbors giving us some peaches. I would run to the cookbook cabinet, stand on a chair and pull out our trusty Betty Crocker cookbook. You know it was the best one we had because it was securely bound together with duct tape. This was the older orange colored version with cute 1960s models who had big hair. I really, really loved that book. Every time I would follow the instructions and the pie crust would fall apart. One time I got it into the pan and I couldn't even get a knife through it. 

Along my cooking adventures I found a few tips and a really good recipe. This one comes from Just Get off Your Butt and Bake. She has tons of really good baking recipes, but this one is my favorite.Not only is this crust delicious, it makes enough for 2 double crusted pies. I take the extra pie dough and freeze it for another day. I modify it a bit by adding mostly butter instead of shortening. I think it adds a nice buttery flavor to the crust. 

Ingredients

4 cups of flour

2 tablespoons of sugar

2 teaspoons of salt

 1 cup of butter

3/4 cup shortening

1 tbs vinegar

1 egg

1/2 cup cold water

Place all the dry ingredients into a large Tupperware bowl with a very secure lid.

Add in the butter and shortening cut into small pieces. Cut this into the flour mixture until it looks like small peas. 

Place the lid on the bowl and shake until the mixture resembles wet sand.

Combine the egg, vinegar, and water into a bowl and mix well. 

Toss the flour over the wet mixture. Do not try to form it into a ball or stir it.

Securely fasten the lid on top and shake, shake,shake!

This is about what your crust should look like. I ended up adding another tablespoon of water, but it may depend on the humidity that day.

Form the dough into a ball and chill this for about an hour. Do you see all the little bits of butter? That's where the yummy lives.

After the dough has chilled, separate the dough into four pieces. This recipe makes enough for 2 double pie crusts. Roll up the other quarters of dough in plastic wrap and freeze it for another day of pie.

Take one of the quarters and dust a counter, the dough, and a rolling pin with flour.

Roll the dough out making sure to rotate it so it will not stick to the counter.

To place the crust into a pie plate, fold it into a quarter. It is much easier to transfer this way!

Then unfold the crust.

You can bake this blind by using pie weights or beans and bake at 350 for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Check back on Thursday for my delicious Strawberry Rhubarb pie!