The Best Ever Pie Dough

For an 8 or 9-inch single pie shell, at about 1/8″ thickness

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbl. sugar
• 6 Tbl. chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pcs.
• 4 Tbl. chilled all-vegetable shortening
• 3-4 Tbl. iced water

Instructions:

1. Mix flour, salt, and sugar in food processor. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture, tossing to coat butter with a little flour. Cut butter into flour with five 1-second pulses. Add shortening and continue pulsing until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with butter bits no larger than small peas. Turn mixture into medium-sized bowl.
2. Sprinkle 3 Tbl. of iced water over mixture and mix with rubber spatula. Add 1 more Tbl. of iced water if dough doesn’t easily come together. Scrape dough into a ball with your hands and flatten into 4-inch wide disc. Dust lightly with flour and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 mins. before rolling. 

NOTE: For a 10-inch regular or a 9-inch deep single pie crust, increase the flour by 1/4 cup and the butter by 2 Tbl.

NOTE: Ingredients for a double-crust 8 or 9-inch pie:

• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbl. sugar
• 11 Tbl. chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pcs.
• 7 Tbl. chilled all-vegetable shortening
• 4-5 Tbl. iced water

Divide dough into 2 balls, one slightly larger than the other.