Does anyone have a tried and true recipe for a pie crust with shortening and real butter?

Answer 1

The key to a perfect pie crust is that all of the ingrediants need to be very cold and that when making the crust you need to be able to see pea sized peices of butter and shortening in the crust.

When the heat hits these pieces of butter/shortening in the oven they release their moisture which causes the pastry to puff and you end up with a golden and flaky pastry.

The recipe I use is from Ina Garten - The Barefoot Contessa - she uses both butter (for the flavor) and shortening (for the way it makes the pastry light and flaky)

Here is the recipe...

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.

Yield: 2 (10-inch) crusts

Answer 2

I prefer to use crisco or lard in my pies.

Regardless of your recipe, make sure the grease is cold while mixing. Don't use your hands. Use a pastry blender or 2 knives to cut in the fat.

Refrigerate the dough a few hours before rolling out.
Refrigerate the dough a few hours in the pan right before putting into the oven.

The secret to a flaky crust is that the butter is cold and hard between the grains of flour. When it bakes quickly, the flour has a chance to set up a structure before the butter melts, and you get the flakiness.

Answer 3

I prefer shortening pie crusts
Can't Go Wrong Pie Crusts
3 cups pastry flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
5 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until well blended.

In a 1-cup liquid measure, combine egg, water and vinegar. Using a fork, blend egg mixture into flour mixture. Divide into equal 3 pieces. Roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface, or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze.

Makes 3 (8-inch) crusts.

heres one with butter

Easiest Piecrust recipe
The two secrets to light, flaky pastry dough are to use cold ingredients and to process it as little as possible. In a food processor, with your pulse button, it takes no time at all. Makes two piecrusts.

5 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound very cold unsalted butter,
cut into very small pieces
3 egg yolks
4 tablespoons ice water

Put the flour and salt in the bowl of the food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Begin to add the butter, and pulse until the mixture starts to look like coarse meal (10 to 15 pulses). Add the egg yolks, then slowly pour in the ice water while processing (no more than 20 seconds). Pulse until dough just comes together - do not let it form a ball. If it holds together when you pinch it, it's ready. Place the dough in a plastic bag, form it into a flat round (like a round loaf of bread), and chill it for at least one hour before rolling it out.

Answer 4

To make a basic dough: (pie crust, pastries)

4 c. Flour
1/4 c.water
1/2 c.butter or shortening

Mix and the use a rolling pin to flatten the dough

Answer 5

Butter makes pie crust too soft. Use Crisco and remember to handle the dough as little as possible. Chilling before rolling it out also helps.

Answer 6

go to the frozen foods section of your grocery store and buy a frozen one. They are pretty good.