Baker's Secret Pie Crust

Your next pie can be a winner at home with this award-winning recipe for pie crust. Just follow this reliable recipe that calls for both cake and all-purpose flours along with other familiar crust ingredients, some pulsing with an electric food processor, and a few quick chillings in the freezer.

• Calories: 222 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg yolk
• ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup cold water
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
• 5 tablespoons shortening
• ¾ cup cake flour
• 3 cubes ice

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Measure butter & shortening onto a plate, put into freezer for about 20 minutes.

Step 2

Measure cake flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, salt and baking powder into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse for a few seconds to mix.

Step 3

Take 1/2 of the cold butter and 1/2 of the cold shortening, put into processor with dry ingredients and pulse off and on for about 1 minute. Scrape down twice while doing this.

Step 4

Take remainder of the cold butter & cold shortening and cut in very briefly with the processor, leaving visible pea-sized chunks. Do not over process at this stage!

Step 5

In a measuring cup, mix egg yolk and vinegar together, add ice cubes and water. Let this get chilled, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Step 6

Remove mixed flours and shortening from processor, put into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle approximately 4 to 5 tablespoons of this egg, water, vinegar mixture, a little at a time, mixing gently with a fork. The key to this is, you do not want a wet dough, and you do not want to overmix.

Step 7

Place this dough into plastic wrap or plastic bag, chill in refrigerator for a few minutes. (May also be frozen for a few weeks at this stage for future use).

Step 8

Remove from refrigerator and roll out. This makes absolutely the BEST pie crusts. I have won County Fair competitions with this pie crust. Double for making a 2-crust pie.