ALL VEGETABLE SHORTENING PASTRY RECIPE

All Vegetable Shortening Pastry Recipe image

Vegetable shortening produces a flaky pie crust that is slightly easier to work with than one made with butter, but the flavor won't be as rich.

Provided by star pooley @starryrose

Categories Pies

Number Of Ingredients 1

Ingredients

- see below

Steps:

8- or 9-inch one-crust pie: --1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon chilled vegetable shortening --1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour, plus extra for rolling --1/2 teaspoon salt --2 to 3 tablespoons ice water
8- or 9-inch two-crust pie: --2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening, cut into pieces --2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour, plus extra for rolling --1 teaspoon salt --4 to 6 tablespoons ice water
In a large bowl with a pastry blender or two knives, cut vegetable shortening into flour and salt until particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry dough almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons additional water can be added if necessary). You want the ingredients to barely bind together.
Flour your hands generously. Tilt the rolling pin and sprinkle it with flour as you rotate the rolling pin. On a lightly floured surface, form pastry into a ball; shape into a flattened round. (For two-crust pie, divide pastry into halves and shape into two rounds.) Roll pastry 2 inches larger than an inverted pie plate with a floured rolling pin. Try to control the rolling pin and move from the center out. Don't use the rolling pin to go back and forth. Use your rolling pin something like this: Roll North, pick up the pin, roll Northeast, pick up dough and move counter-clockwise, repeat. You want the crust as evenly rolled as you can.
Fold pastry into quarter folds and ease into pie plate, pressing firmly against bottom and sides of pie plate.