Always Easy, Always Ready Basic Pie Crust

Always Easy, Always Ready Basic Pie Crust

No need to be afraid of making a scratch crust.  You can keep this mix on hand in an airtight container in your pantry – no refrigeration required.  When you need to bake a pie, just scoop out the mix and prepare as directed below.

5 lbs. Flour

3 lbs. Crisco (original) or Fluffo

3 Tbs. Salt

In a giant mixing bowl (I use a dish pan), mix the above together with your hands until crumbly but not smooth.  It will resemble a crumb topping (like you see on a coffee cake).  Don’t knead or squeeze – pretend you are working with play doh and you’ll get it right.  This part is fun to do.

Store in an airtight container.  Don’t refrigerate.

When you want to make a pie, combine each cup of mix with 3-4 Tbs. of ice water.  A 2-crust 9-inch pie usually requires 2 ½ Cups.  If you have extra, use mini cookie or dough cutters to make shapes to put on your crust – it looks very pretty and you can use the shapes to cover up places where you’ve torn the crust.  And if you tear the crust – no worries – just wet your finger and use the water to “glue” the torn edges back together and cover up the tear with cool dough shapes.

For a pie shell, prick the crust all over with a fork and bake at 400 degrees for 8 minutes or until golden brown.  For a filled pie, bake according to directions for the type of filling.