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Pastry: Plain Pie Pastry

Source of Recipe


From "Mrs. Rowe's Little Book of Southern Pies" by Mollie Cox Bryan



List of Ingredients



• 2 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 tsp salt
  
• 2/3 cup vegetable shortening
  
• 5 to 7 Tbsp cold milk
  






Instructions



1. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Cut the shortening with a pastry blender until it is the size of small peas. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the milk over part of the flour mixture. Gently toss with a fork and push to one side of the bowl. Sprinkle another tablespoon over another dry part, toss with a fork, and push to another side of the bowl. Repeat with the remaining milk until all of the flour is moistened.
   
   
2. Press the dough together to form 2 equal balls, then flatten into disks. Roll out the crusts right away; or wrap the dough tightly, smoothing out any little wrinkles or air pockets, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each ball to a thickness of 1/8-inch. Use a light touch and handle the dough as little as possible.
   
   
3. To prebake an empty crust, preheat the oven to 400° F. Press one rolled-out crust into a 9- or 10-inch pie plate. Line with parchment paper and weigh the crust down with dry beans or pie weights to keep the crust from bubbling or shrinking. Bake for about 10 minutes, until firm and lightly browned. To parbake the crust, remove it from the oven after about 10 to 20 minutes, when you first see a golden hue to the crust.
   
   Makes two 9-inch crusts.