Single Pie Crust (Need a 2-crust pie? Double the recipe.)

1. Add flour, sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly to combine. Add in cold butter and cold shortening. Pulse just until the mixture is chunky. It’s important not to overwork the dough. Some chunks should be the size of lima beans. 
2. Slowly add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Pulse just until the dough comes together. It should be tender and moist, but not wet. Here’s how to test it: with the machine turned off, grab a handful of dough and lightly squeeze it together. If it stays together without crumbling, no more water is needed.
3. Transfer dough to a lightly-floured board. Gather it into a ball. Turn it onto a sheet of plastic wrap. With the heel of your hand, flatten it into a disk about 1-inch thick. Wrap it tightly in plastic. Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to 2 hours. 
4. Roll out the chilled dough. To keep it from sticking to the board as you roll it – keep the dough moving. Roll it. Flip it. Add a sprinkling of flour to the top. Repeat the process until it’s flat and the correct size. Let the dough rest on the board for 5 minutes.
5. Drape the dough over the pie dish. Adjust it into place. Don’t stretch it to fit the pie pan or it will spring back during baking. Trim off excess dough, leaving an extra 1-1/2 inches of dough around the top edge of the pie plate. Fold the edges of the dough underneath to create a smooth edge and some thickness. Crimp the edges as desired, then chill the crust in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Blind Baking Instructions

IMPORTANT: This is for pre-baking the crust without any filling. This is done for fresh pies where you add fruit filling to a pre-baked crust. Please note that many recipes (like those for 2-crust pies) do not require pre-baking the crust. So be sure to follow your recipe’s instructions.

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Flute/crimp the top border in a V-shape formation with your fingers. Put the crust in the freezer to chill for 15 to 20 minutes, or refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Remove the crust from the freezer or fridge. To help keep the dough flat, prick the bottom of the dough all over with a fork.
3. Line the crust with an oversized piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil. Fill it with pie weights, dried beans, dried rice or granulated sugar.
4. Bake the pie crust for 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven. Carefully lift up the parchment paper or aluminum foil with pie weights and set them aside. Continue baking the crust for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden blonde. Remove it from the oven. Cool it on a wire rack.