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Pie Crust IV

This flaky pie crust works well with sweet as well as savory fillings. See more

READY IN 10 mins

Pie Crust IV

Read Reviews (554)

"My grandmother supported her family during the Depression by baking. This is her recipe for pie crust. I use this often as I am a pie baker. The trick to good pie crust is to be gentle and treat it very lightly." — Jan Bittner

Ingredients Edit and Save

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Measuring All-Purpose Flour

Types of Salt

Original recipe makes 1 pie crust Change Servings

1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold water

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Directions

Mix shortening, flour, and salt together with a fork or a pastry blender until very crumbly. Add as much water as needed to hold together, and mix lightly with a fork.
Roll gently on a floured pastry cloth to about an inch larger than pie plate. Fold carefully in half, lift to pie plate, and unfold. Press into pan. For a single-crust pie, trim with a small knife to about 1/2 inch beyond rim. Fold up, and pinch so edge of pie is raised from rim.

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PREP 10 mins
READY IN 10 mins

Footnotes

Cook's Note
For a two-crust pie, trim bottom crust to edge of rim, fill, and top with crust about 1/2 inch larger than rim. Tuck top crust under bottom along rim. Seal with floured fork.

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Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Jan 21, 2007

fantastic pie crust! not too greasy, very easy to work with and very, very flaky. one quick note from past experiences, add the ice water one tablespoon at a time and toss with a fork after each addition.

—TTROELL

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Sep 28, 2011

This was too greasy and almost TOO tender for me - the crust was falling apart in the finished product! I will use 1/3 cup shortening next time and up the water by a couple of Tbsp.

—Jezebelina

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751 Ratings

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Jan 30, 2008

I have now used this recipe in the following recipes: Apple Pie by Grandma Ople (from this website), Perfect Pumpkin Pie (from this website), a broccoli quiche (my mom's recipe), and a spinach and mushroom quiche (also my mom's recipe). This pie crust has been perfect every time, and makes whatever dish it is in a hundred times better. I have adopted this recipe as my everything pie crust recipe.

—Nikki

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Jul 30, 2003

Good also if you substitute shortening with butter or margarin.

—Manuela

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Nov 20, 2007

Very good! I added a couple tsp. of white sugar to give it a little extra sweetness. They say the sugar makes the dough stickier and harder to work with and to add confectioners sugar instead, but it seemed to work out fine for me. I used tips from this site and froze the shortening (use butter flavored...great taste!) before cutting it into the flour (it doesn't freeze, it just gets very cold) and I used ICE water. I then refrigerated for 30 minutes prior to rolling out. After I rolled it and placed it in the pan, I refrigerated another 30 minutes before putting my filling in (pumpkin..YUM!). This resulted in a good tasting, flaky crust.

—bizzymomma

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Apr 08, 2007

A great pie crust! I use 1/4 c. shortening and 1/4 c. butter. I also use ice water, one tablespoon at a time. For a no-bake pie (such as my favorite, fresh strawberry), bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes. For a pie which isn't as sweet, I would also add about 1 tablespoon of sugar to the flour.

—hawksnestsouth

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Nov 27, 2006

This is the first pie crust recipe that I've used where I got consistent results. I didn't do anything special. I didn't refrigerate the fat to get it super cold...none of that. I just followed the recipe word for word and my crust was perfectly flaky. Thanks!

—Jeff T.

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Nov 26, 2006

Incredible. The only thing I changed is I used unsalted butter instead of shortening. Was a breeze and was so good.

—FULLXBUSYMOM

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Nutrition

Calories
199 kcal
10%

Carbohydrates
17.9 g
6%

Cholesterol
0 mg
0%

Fat
13 g
20%

Fiber
0.6 g
3%

Protein
2.4 g
5%

Sodium
146 mg
6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Pie Crust IV

Serving Size: 1/8 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 199
Calories from Fat: 117

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 13g 20 %
Saturated Fat 3.2g 16 %
Cholesterol 0mg 0 %
Sodium 146mg 6 %
Potassium 25mg < 1 %
Total Carbohydrates 17.9g 6 %
Dietary Fiber 0.6g 3 %
Protein 2.4g 5 %
Sugars 0.1g
Vitamin A 0 %
Vitamin C 0 %
Calcium < 1 %
Iron 11 %
Thiamin 18 %
Niacin 14 %
Vitamin B6 < 1 %
Magnesium 2 %
Folate 24 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.