This recipe has been my go-to for years. I altered it from the Complete Step-By-Step Cookbook from Better Homes and Gardens. Don’t ask me what year. The book was in my family before I was born.
Pastry for a Double-Crust Pie
Tip: This recipe can make either a double-crust pie, or two open-top pies. I sometimes get two and a half or even three pie crusts.
Ingredients:
2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 Cup oil. (Use coconut and olive oil 50/50 split for best results. Melt the coconut oil.)
5-7 Tablespoons cold water
Directions:
- Mix flour and salt.
- Add oil and 5 Tablespoons water.
- Mix until you get a smooth but slightly soft ball. If dough seems dry, add more water. Do so early to avoid overmixing. Overmixing will make a tough dough.
- Roll out crust and line pie plate.
- Bake as directed in filling recipe.
Storage: Wrap raw pie crust in plastic wrap, then wrap with foil. Date it and put in freezer. How long it lasts in the freezer is variable based upon how well you wrap it.
To use frozen pie crust, remove both foil and plastic wrap. Thaw completely. Bake according to filling recipe.
You might have noticed that I show two pie crusts above. I want you to consider that one looks like what we would think of as a “nice” pie crust and the other is a “messy” crust.
These were crusts from two different batches I made on different days. Yes, even I, the pie crust maker in my family for years because my crusts tend to be light and flaky, can make a less than perfect crust. This is because making pie crusts is not an exact science. Some days the mystical pie crust powers are just not on your side.
Don’t stress the “messy,” less than perfect crusts. I used both crusts for two of the pies I show in my post “Top Five Recipes for 3.14 Day AKA. Pie Day.” Can you tell which is which?
The only part anyone will see is the bottom and the edge. (Unless you are submitting your pie into a competition, no one should be making sure they look at and critique the bottom of your pie anyway. If they do, they might need to get a life.) My point is: few people will notice that imperfect crust. Besides, the real success is in the eating.