Metro’s Pie Crust
This has been my go-to crust for years. The combination of shortening and butter, plus a little vinegar, makes for a really tender flaky crust. Use it for any pie recipe using a traditional crust.
For those who are new to pie crusts, you have options for treating the dough after it’s been made. If you plan to roll it right away after making it, refrigerate the discs for at least 30 minutes before rolling. After you form the crusts, refrigerate them until ready to bake.
If making them ahead of time, you can roll the crusts and store them in your fridge overnight. If freezing them and storing, you can stack them once they are frozen solid. Use them straight from the freezer—no need to defrost before filling and baking. Or, store the dough as discs, before they are rolled out. Tightly wrap them and store in the freezer until needed, taking them out 2 days in advance to defrost in the fridge until ready to roll out. I keep extra discs in the freezer, to defrost and use in a pinch.
Metro’s Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 2½ cups (12 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1½ tablespoons (.8 ounce) sugar
- 1¼ teaspoons (.2 ounce) salt
- ⅔ cup (4.3 ounces) vegetable shortening, frozen, cut into ½-inch pieces
- ½ cup (4 ounces) butter, cold, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 6-8 tablespoons ice water, as needed
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar, if you don't have apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Place dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine.
- Drop the pieces of butter and vegetable shortening onto the flour mixture in the food processor, and pulse several times, until the fats appear to be the size of fava beans. Don't overprocess at this stage, as you will pulse some more once you add the water; keep some healthy chunks of fat. If you don't have a food processor, use a pastry cutter or your fingers to crumble the fats into the dry ingredients.
- Add vinegar and 8 tablespoons ice water to the bowl of the food processor and pulse into the flour–butter mixture. Then pulse in enough additional ice water (if needed) just until the dough holds together and pulls slightly away from the edges of the bowl. Quick pulses only. Do not overmix; you should still see smears of the fat in the dough, which will bake up into a tender flaky crust. Divide the dough into 2 discs, wrap each separately in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before rolling out.
- When you are ready to bake the pies, roll the dough out and fit into 9-inch pie tins, crimping the edges to your liking. This crust benefits during baking from being very cold when it hits the oven. You can roll them out the night before and make room in your freezer for them. Fill them and bake them according to the recipe; no need to thaw. If not freezing, please do refrigerate the rolled dough for 30 minutes before baking.
