Nono's Pie Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup Crisco shortening
1/4 cup cold water
Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in Crisco with pastry cutter or forks until fairly coarse. Sprinkle with water and toss with fork just to combine.
Turn out onto a floured surface and work with your hands until it just comes together. Divide in half, roll out and trim to fit. Bake for 12 minutes in a 425°F oven for recipes calling for a pre-baked shell. Yields enough dough for 1 double-crust pie or 2 single-crust pies.
Variations (add to the flour and salt before cutting in the shortening):
Cheese Crust - 1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese (excellent with Apple Pie!)
Nut Crust - 1/2 cup very finely chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds) plus 1 Tbs sugar
Sugar Crust - 1/4 cup sugar
Spice Crust - 1 tsp ground cinnamon plus 1/4 tsp nutmeg (try this with Pumpkin, Pecan or Apple Pie)
Citrus Crust - 1 tsp fresh lemon zest or orange zest (good with any fruit pie.)
You can adjust the basic recipe to yield just one crust by reducing the flour to 1 cup, the salt to 1/2 tsp, the Crisco to 1/2 cup and the water to 3 Tbs. I know these are not "half" measurements on the shortening or water, but that's how my Nono made it so that's good enough for me!
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup Crisco shortening
1/4 cup cold water
Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in Crisco with pastry cutter or forks until fairly coarse. Sprinkle with water and toss with fork just to combine.
Turn out onto a floured surface and work with your hands until it just comes together. Divide in half, roll out and trim to fit. Bake for 12 minutes in a 425°F oven for recipes calling for a pre-baked shell. Yields enough dough for 1 double-crust pie or 2 single-crust pies.
Variations (add to the flour and salt before cutting in the shortening):
Cheese Crust - 1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese (excellent with Apple Pie!)
Nut Crust - 1/2 cup very finely chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds) plus 1 Tbs sugar
Sugar Crust - 1/4 cup sugar
Spice Crust - 1 tsp ground cinnamon plus 1/4 tsp nutmeg (try this with Pumpkin, Pecan or Apple Pie)
Citrus Crust - 1 tsp fresh lemon zest or orange zest (good with any fruit pie.)
You can adjust the basic recipe to yield just one crust by reducing the flour to 1 cup, the salt to 1/2 tsp, the Crisco to 1/2 cup and the water to 3 Tbs. I know these are not "half" measurements on the shortening or water, but that's how my Nono made it so that's good enough for me!
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