Pot Pie Crust

Start the crust a minimum of 3 hours before serving time to give the pastry time to set a good chill. This is important for a flaky crust. Can make day before and keep in frig or make even sooner and freeze. If you freeze it, then thaw it out a day in advance in the frig.

Ingredients

• 4 oz Butter (114 g) – cold, unsalted, and cut into thin slices
• 4 oz Shortening (114 g) – cold and cut into thin slices
• 4 oz water (118 g) – ice cold
• 2 ¾ cups flour (411 g)
• 1 teaspoon salt (7 g) – fine

Process

1. Mise en Place: Cut butter and shortening into slices.
2. Freeze butter and shortening for twenty minutes to harden.
3. Add flour and salt to a food processor and pulse until evenly mixed. Add the butter and shortening, a few pieces at a time, cutting the fats into the flour, small clumps will form.
4. Drizzle in ice cold water slowly into flour, pulsing as you go. The dough should be a dry/moist crumbly mixture when done.
5. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and knead until the mixture comes together. Don’t knead too long or the fats will soften.
6. Cut the dough ball so one half is slightly larger than the other half. The larger half is for the base of the pie tin.
7. Form into two flattened round disks. If you have silplats, put dough on top of one and cover dough with film. If you don’t have a silplat, sandwich dough between two pieces of film.
8. Roll dough into shape. Make sure your disk is larger than the pie tin so you can form the edge. Try to do this quickly before the fats soften.
9. Refrigerate the covered disks until chilled, at least 2 hours but preferably over night.
10. Remove dough from frig and roll into final shape.
11. Line pie tin with base disk and return to fridge until ready to use. Keep wrapped to avoid picking up odors.
12. Roll top disk into large enough shape to cover pie pan with extra for folding. Cut in air vents so steam can escape while baking. Return to fridge until ready to use. Keep wrapped.

Note: Can use a pastry blade and a large mixing bowl to cut in the fats, and sturdy wooden spoon to stir in the water. Kind of nice to kick a pastry back old school once in awhile.