Spoon the flour into measuring cups and level it off without packing it in. Place the flour in a large bowl and whisk in the salt and sugar. 
Drop in the cubed butter and shortening. Using a pastry cutter, or two butter knives, cut the butter and shortening into the flour mixture until small chunks of butter remain.
Drizzle the ice water into the flour/butter mixture. Using a fork, stir in the water. The mixture will be shaggy.
Dump the shaggy mixture onto a pastry mat or a large piece of parchment paper. Begin kneading the dough until it starts to come together. Add 1 Tablespoon more water if needed if the dough is too dry. Form the dough into a thick disc. Pat or roll it out slightly, just barely large enough so that you can fold it in half. Do this one or two more times, creating layers in the crust. Finally, gently form into a thick disc again, wrap in plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
When ready to roll out, place the dough on a lightly floured pastry mat or parchment paper and let it rest for 10 - 20 minutes before rolling it out. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour, dust your rolling pin, and roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Place in the pie plate. Your crust is ready to fill and bake if you are making a baked pie, such as a blueberry pie, pecan pie, or a pumpkin pie.
However, if you’re making a no-bake pie like a lemon meringue pie, a strawberry pie, or a French Silk pie, you will need to blind bake your crust. Continue with the following directions:
Line your crust with a circle of parchment paper and add dry beans or pie weights to hold it down. If you don’t line it with the parchment paper and beans or weights, your crust will probably shrink away from the pie plate and/or bubble up on the bottom. Use a pie shield or some aluminum foil to cover the edges of the crust to prevent burning.
Preheat the oven to 425°. Bake the lined crust for 15 minutes.
Remove from the oven, remove the parchment paper and the weights or the beans from the crust. Beat together one egg and a tablespoon of milk to brush all over the crust. Cover the crust completely with the egg wash. Again use a pie shield or some aluminum foil to cover the edges of the crust to prevent burning.
Place back in the 425° oven for an additional 15 - 20 minutes. Watch the crust closely to make sure it isn’t getting too brown.
Cool the crust completely before filling.
This recipe makes one regular pie crust.
NOTE: if you are making a pie crust for a dish that is not sweet, such as a quiche, you can leave out the sugar for a more savory crust.