Pie Crust

Eileen Akers

2 9" crusts

2 Cups flour

1/2 tsp salt (slight)

1/2 cup Crisco

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp white vinegar

1/3 cup cold water

You want everything to be as cold as possible. Put the Crisco in the fridge. Cut the butter into tiny cubes then put in the freezer 30 minutes before you use it. Put the bowl, spoon, and knives (or pastry cutter) in the freezer too.

It works best to make the cubes even smaller than pictured.

Combine the flour and salt, then cut in the Crisco and butter. Add the vinegar then cold water a couple Tbsp at a time combining with a cold spoon until it becomes a shaggy, flaky dough. Remove from the bowl and fold over several times so everything becomes combined, but the dough is layered instead of mushy. Make into a ball, then flatten. Wrap in parchment paper and freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate for 2+ hours. Freeze the rolling pin too. Remove from the freezer, place another sheet of parchment paper on top, and roll out. Remove the top paper and flip the crust over into the pie pan. Remove the parchment paper and resituate it on the crust. Fill with pie weights. Crimp the edges then fold a strip of foil around the edges of the crust to keep it from burning. Return to the freezer until the oven is completely preheated. Bake the pie crust for 12-15 minutes at 350 or until you can see it beginning to brown through the glass. Remove the weights, parchment paper, and foil.
If you are partially blind baking the crust, set the pan on a cooling rack to cool.
 If you are completely blind baking the crust, poke several holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork and return to the oven for another 8-15 minutes (until it is sufficiently browned). Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack.

* You can make this with all Crisco and it can sit out on the counter. However, it doesn't have the buttery flavor.