Today I’d like to share an easy pie crust recipe. I meet so many people who are afraid to make their own crust, and truthfully, after reading some recipes, I can see why. The worst thing about making your own crust is the MESS. You shouldn’t have to worry about chilled dough, ice chips or unsalted butter. So, I’ll give you a recipe for everyday pie crust. This is my mom’s recipe, and we use it daily at the cafe. Start by assembling:

4 cups of Flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 TBLsp white vinegar
1/2 cup water

In a large bowl (the biggest one you can find) Mix together Flour, salt and sugar. Next add the shortening to flour mixture and cut in. * Hint #1. Use Pam cooking spray on the measuring cup that you use for your shortening. It seems weird to use oil on oil, but trust me, it will save you valuable clean up time! Hint #2. Cutting in shortening can by done more than one way. Using a pastry cutter is best if you have one. This is a handled tool, with 5 or six blades. In the old days, ladies would use multiple knives to do the job. Or simply take off your rings, put on a pair of light weight gloves, and GENTLY rub the shortening into the Flour.

DO NOT OVERWORK THE MIXTURE! It should resemble coarse crumbs when you are done. You want this to taste flaky, not doughy. To much mixing will result in a tough crust.

Next whisk the 2 eggs, water and vinegar in a separate bowl, then add
to flour mixture. Lightly toss wet to dry until it begins to come together. Again, DO NOT OVERWORK. This will make 4-6 balls of dough. If you are a beginning roller, do 4. If you are more experienced you can get 6.

There is no need to chill or wait. Let’s roll. You will need: a large counter space, a rolling pin, parchment paper or wax paper, and an additional cup of flour to prevent sticking. Place parchment on counter, sprinkle a small handful of flour on paper, lightly rub flour on rolling pin and begin to work dough in a circle. You should be able to pick this up. Adding flour to the work surface and pin will help you keep this soft and non sticky. Roll dough until you get a large circle of dough, about 1 inch larger than your pie pan. Beginners give yourselves lot of extra crust to work with. It’s easier to cut it off than to add it on. When you have a nice round circle to work with (think pizza pie) then fold over parchment so dough is a half circle, lift, and place in pie pan.

Press dough up the sides of the pan and let it drape over the sides. Take a sharp paring knife and cut the excess dough off. It should be like a skirt, just touching the ground below the pie tin. Roll up the sides to sit on the edge of the pan. Next, pretend like you are working with play-dough. You tell the crust where to go. Take the thumb of your right hand, and wedge it between the thumb and index finger of the left hand as you go around the edge. There are lots of techniques for shaping crust and you can get a good visual if you google cooking sights. Just remember, you can play with it until it looks right!

Happy Holidays Everyone!