Homemade Piecrust From Scratch Recipe

How to make it

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• Combine the flour and salt in a food processor.
• Add the shortening; pulse the machine on and off until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
• With the machine running, trickle in 4 tablespoons of ice water through the feed tube, until the dough just gathers together. (If the dough seems dry, add up to 1 tablespoon more of ice water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time.)
• Divide the dough in half, forming each half into a thick disk. Wrap each disk in plastic; refrigerate for at least 1 hour to chill.
• Remove half the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface or between 2 sheets of wax paper to form a circle about 1/8-inch thick and 2 inches larger than the pie plate. (Work quickly, as the dough can become sticky.)
• With the help of a spatula, gently transfer the dough to a pie plate, pressing it lightly into the plate to fit. If the dough should tear, just press it together gently.
• Trim the dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang. If making a single-crust pie, turn the edge under and flute it.
• Repeat for a top crust or for another bottom crust. The circle for a top crust should be 9 inches for an 8-inch pie and 10 inches for a 9-inch pie.
• Follow the individual pie recipes for filling and baking.
• Makes enough for one 8- or 9-inch double-crust pie, or two single crust pies.
• Save any scraps of this dough to create a decorative design for the top of the pie