All-Purpose Pie Crust Recipe

This is a simple recipe for an all-purpose pie crust. It involves making a dough with small pellets of butter and shortening surrounded by flour. When baked, the butter and shortening produce small amounts of steam that result in a perfectly, flaky crust. You can use this fundamental recipe to make almost any type of pie depending on what ingredients that are in season.

Ingredients:
1 tspn salt
2 tbsp sugar
5 oz. cold water
3 1/2 cups pastry (winter) flour
3 oz. butter
4 oz. shortening

Preparation:

1. In a small mixing bowl, dissolve sugar and salt in the cold water.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, butter, and shortening with your hands until small, pea sized pellets of butter form in the flour.
3. Make a hole in the middle of the flour and pour in the salt, sugar, and water mixture. Mix the dough until just incorporated.
4. Form the dough into a rectangle brick and lightly dust it with flour. Then wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
5. Remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise to room temperature for 30 minutes.
6. Cut the dough into 2 equal sized pieces. You can make 2 open faced pies or one pie with a bottom and top crust.
7. Using a rolling pin on a well floured surface, roll out the dough so that it is 1 inch greater than the pie pan.
8. Place the dough in the pie pan and trim off any excess from the edge of the pie.
9. Apply an egg wash (one egg and an equal part of water whisked together) to the edge of the pie. This will help the top layer of dough adhere to the bottom.
10. Pour in the pie filling and then place the top layer of dough on top of the filling.

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