Pie Dough

This is the bare-essentials pie dough every American baker should have memorized: flour, shortening, salt, ice water. The recipe makes two crusts, enough for one double-crust pie or two single shells you can freeze for later. Shortening pastry is more forgiving than all-butter, more uniformly flaky, and easier to roll out without tearing the dough.

The two things that decide success here are temperature and water. Keep the shortening cold by working fast, and add ice water in the smallest possible increments, just enough for the dough to hold together when you squeeze it. Wet dough turns tough; dry dough cracks when you roll it. Aim for the spot between the two where the dough is barely shaggy and just holds. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 30 minutes before rolling, longer if you have time.

Pro Tips

• Cut the shortening into the flour with a pastry blender or two knives until the mixture looks like coarse meal with pea-sized lumps. The lumps are what make the crust flaky.
• Add ice water by the tablespoon, tossing gently with a fork. Stop the second the dough holds together when squeezed.
• Chill the wrapped dough at least 30 minutes before rolling. Cold dough rolls without tearing or shrinking.
• Roll between two sheets of waxed paper if the dough sticks to the counter. Avoids the temptation to dust on too much extra flour.

Variations

• Replace half the shortening with cold butter for richer flavor at the cost of slightly less flakiness.
• Add a tablespoon of sugar for sweet pies; skip the sugar for savory pot pies and quiches.
• Use a cup of whole wheat flour in place of one cup of white for a nuttier, more rustic crust.