In my recipe column for 225, I’ve always stressed how store-bought pie dough is a wonderful product to use in place of scratch dough—and I stand by that statement. As much as I enjoy cooking, I like to take a shortcut whenever I can, especially when the end result is as delicious as something from-scratch. However, this year, with the holidays approaching, I decided to try my hand at mastering my mother’s from-scratch pie crust. When I was little, I remember hanging out in the kitchen while my mother would make pie crust. She would always give me the extra dough to play with. I loved rolling it out with my own rolling pin and cutting it into shapes. We’d sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the cut-outs and bake my own little creations. With this happy memory fresh in my mind, I was delighted to find that her recipe is surprisingly easy. The crust is tender and delicious, with a nice buttery flavor. To keep extra dough on hand for a later use, this recipe can easily be doubled. Portion out the leftover dough and place it in the fridge for up to four days, or the freezer in a freezer bag for up to two months.
Servings: Yields 2 (9-inch) pie crusts
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2 ½ cups all-purpose. unbleached flour
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter
½ cup cold vegetable shortening
½ cup ice water
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- Pour the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add in the salt, and mix until well blended.
- Slice the cold butter and shortening into little pieces. Use a pastry cutter to cut the butter and shortening into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Slowly add the ice water into the mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it all begins to come together. Gently press the dough together to form a ball. Cut the dough ball in half to form 2 smaller pieces.
- Carefully press each piece into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out.
This article was originally published in the November 2022 issue of 225 magazine.