Sunpuppys Perfect Pie Crust Recipe

How to make it

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• Tips: I always keep my flour, Crisco and rolling pin (I use a marble pin so it gets really cold) in my freezer because it is of the utmost importance to use everything cold to prevent the Crisco from melting. I handle the dough quickly and handle it as little as possible. After forming a ball place in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour before rolling out to chill the Crisco within the dough back to the “cold” state. After years of making tuff crust I learned that this is the secret to very flaky and delicious crust.
• Unfortunately, I don’t measure anything but my technique always makes exactly enough for a 9 inch deep dish pie pan (Pyrex). I have approximate measurements but nothing exact. I use 3 big scoops (scoop = about ½ cup each) of cold flour and add about a teaspoon of salt and mix quickly in a chilled bowl. Then, I begin adding the cold Crisco one tablespoonful at a time until I have added about 6 heaping tablespoons of Crisco and then I begin cutting the shortening into the cold flour using a pastry blender or a knife until the mixture looks like it still has large clumps about the size of ½ of a dime throughout the flour. You want the clumps to be big because that is what makes the crust flakey but keep in mind that you want it “cold”. When the mixture looks like it has quite a few clumps of shortening throughout it, begin adding ice cold water drizzling it throughout the mixture. (Many recipes will call for like 6 tbs of water but that’s never been enough water for me to make a dough ball.) I just add and mix until the mixture becomes damp enough to form a ball, you don’t want it soggy but damp enough that it will easily hold together. Now, with your hands form the dough into a ball and work very quickly so not to melt the shortening? After forming the large ball, quickly divide the ball into two balls and wrap each ball in plastic wrap and put it back into the refrigerator for at least an hour.
• After the dough has chilled back up in the refrigerator, take out one of the dough balls leaving the other in the refrigerator to keep cold while your rolling out the bottom crust. Add just enough cold flour onto a pastry cloth to keep the dough from sticking, also rub the rolling pin lightly with flour. Begin rolling the dough out forming a circle about 2 inches bigger than the pie pan that you are using. Again, move quickly and handle the dough as little as possible. When you have rolled the dough to form the size circle that you want, take the rolling pin and place it at one end of the dough and lift the edge of the dough enough to halfway wrap it around the rolling pin and then continue to roll the rest of the dough around the pin. Take the pin and lay it at one end of the pie dish and gently roll out the dough across the dish allowing the dough to fall into place.
• Take the second dough ball from the refrigerator and roll it out using the above technique. After you have rolled it into a circle, add the fruit to the dough that is already in the pie dish. Now, using the ice water, lightly dampen the sides of the pie dough already in the pie dish. Add the top crust using the same technique rolling the dough across the filled pie dish. Then, using a paring knife, trim the dough from the edges around the pie and crimp the two crusts together. I make a large star in the center of the pie to vent the steam. Brush top of pie with egg wash (egg & water) to encourage browning. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 425 for 15 minutes which keeps your pie crust from shrinking and then lower the heat to 350 and bake another 30 to 40 minutes depending on your oven. Always bake the pie on the bottom shelf of the oven so that the bottom crust gets brown. If the top crust begins to brown too soon just lay a piece of aluminum foil over it to stop the browning until the rest of the pie is done.
• You can substitute ½ butter to ½ shortening if you want and it seems to make for a more tasty crust but I think you forfeit the some of the flakiness when you add butter.