No Fail Pie Crust: Day 6

So my mother taught me how to make a pie crust, it was good, but it was pretty painful, and it looked pretty ugly. I've watched Martha Stewart make a pie crust, and she used a food processor to cut in the cold fat which I thought was smart, but one false move, one extra drop of water and the pie crust becomes disaster. Hey, good things take effort right?

There is something about me that I am not proud to admit. In my own laziness, I tend believe that if its more expensive that is the better product, and if the recipe is arduous it probably produces the better result. Well tell that to the bargain shopper, and tell that to the woman who taught me this pie crust recipe! They will tell you I am dead wrong!

I asked my neighbor and friend Lori to teach a pie class in my home last year before Thanksgiving because she is famous for her pie. We had a packed house, and it was the night I threw Mom and Martha's pie technique out the window. So thank you Lori! She also makes awesome sweet rolls and bread!

No fail pie crust

4 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 T sugar

1 t salt

1 3/4 c Crisco (butter flavored)

1/2 c water

1 egg

1T white vinegar

Mix together flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Add Crisco and cut in with pastry cutter, fingers, or a couple forks (it will come together pretty fast) and it will be crumbly and and look like this

Next, measure water, drop the egg in the water and the vinegar. Pour into the flour mixture and mix it all up (easiest to do with your hands). Once its all combined, divide into 4 balls. With a nice floured surface, roll out into 4 pie crusts. To bake a shell (like for a cream pie) it takes 10- 15 min at 425 degrees. Put it in the shell and stab it with a fork all over. Then use pie weights (if you are Martha Stewart) or use rice or dried beans on some tin foil. You put tin foil on the pie crust and pour the beans on top of the tin foil so it weighs down on the pie crust. This prevents it from puffing up to much.

I have had more compliments on this pie crust and it truly is no fail!