King Arthurs Favorite Pie Crust Recipe Recipe

How to make it

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• For a flaky, tender crust (as opposed to one that’s harder, mealy, and more cookie-like), the following works well.
• Whisk together all of the dry ingredients, reserving a few tablespoons of the flour. Cut in half of the fat, working the mixture until it’s mealy and crumbly.
• Place the reserved flour on your work surface, and coat the remaining fat with the flour. Use a rolling pin or the heel of your hand to flatten the fat till it’s about 1/2-inch thick. Break this flour-coated fat into 1-inch pieces, and mix it into the dough, just till it’s evenly distributed; some of the pieces of flour-coated fat should break into smaller pieces.
• Sprinkle the liquid(s) over the dough while tossing with a fork. Just as soon as the dough becomes cohesive (i.e., you can squeeze it into a ball easily), stop mixing; there should still be visible pieces of fat in the dough. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap or waxed paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer; this resting period allows the flour to absorb the water, making the dough easier to roll out.
• Flour your work surface and roll the dough into a 12 x 9-inch (approximately) rectangle. If it isn’t holding together well, sprinkle it lightly with a couple of teaspoons of water. Fold the dough into thirds (like a letter), then fold it into thirds the opposite way, to form a rough square. Wrap it well and refrigerate again.
• When you’re "ready to roll," remove the dough from the fridge. If the dough is made with all lard and/or vegetable shortening, you’ll be able to work with it directly from the refrigerator. A dough made with all butter will need to warm slightly (10 to 15 minutes) before rolling, as butter becomes brittle when it’s refrigerated. Dough made with a combination of butter and shortening should rest for about 5 minutes at room temperature before rolling. Roll the dough to the size needed (about 13 inches for a 9-inch pie). Fill and bake as directed in your recipe.