A recipe that I sought out/discovered by necessity (in order to make an apple pie), and one that I will keep and cherish! As a double-crust pastry novice, I experienced the nervousness associated with lovingly making a wonderful apple pie filling yet not knowing whether the pastry would be a success or spell disaster. I was in luck with this fabulously simple recipe. Do not be deceived by the stickiness of the dough prior to refrigeration; it is going to be just fine! When you flour your work surface and start to roll it out, you will be pleasantly surprised.
EASY DOUBLE-CRUST PASTRY
Prep Time: 20 Min (plus 30 Min refrigeration), Cook Time: 20 Min
INGREDIENTS*:
250 g all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
135 g shortening
90 ml cold water
*Plus 1 tbsp caster sugar if making a sweet pie
DIRECTIONS:
- In a bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in the shortening (using a pinching motion with your fingers) until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Divide dough in half so that one ball is slightly larger than the other. Wrap each half in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Roll out larger ball to fit a 9-10 inch pie plate. Transfer pastry to pie plate. Trim pastry even with edge.
- Pour desired filling into crust. Roll out second dough ball. Position over filling and cut slits in pastry. Trim pastry to 1 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold top crust over bottom crust. Flute edges. Bake according to pie recipe directions.