Pastry Dough (Single)

The flakiest, most tender pie crust perfect for a single-crust, 8-10" pie.

1½ cups all-purpose or pastry flour
½ tsp. fine sea salt
4 Tbsp. shortening
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3-5 Tbsp. water, ice cold

Whisk together the flour and salt. Add the shortening, working it in until the mixture is evenly crumbly.

Add the butter to the flour mixture, and work it in roughly with your fingers, a pastry cutter, or a mixer. Don't be too thorough; the mixture should be very uneven, with big chunks of butter in among the smaller ones. Add 2 Tbsp. of water, and toss to combine.

Toss with enough additional water to make a chunky mixture. It should hold together nicely when you squeeze a handful, though it shouldn't be at all sticky or wet.

Shape the dough into a disk about 1" thick, and refrigerate it for 30 minutes or longer; this resting period allows the flour to absorb the water, making the dough easier to roll out.

When you're "ready to roll," remove the dough from the fridge. If the dough has been refrigerated longer than 30 minutes, let it rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before rolling, to allow the butter to soften up a bit.

Roll the dough to the size needed (~ 12" for a 9" pie). Place it in a pie pan, and refrigerate it while you prepare your filling. Fill and bake as directed in your recipe.

Makes one crust for a single-crust pie.