Flakey Pie Crust

This recipe is really a good one. It is pretty much fool proof, just make sure to give it at least 4 hours in the refrigerator or overnight is actually better. I found it in an old cookbook of my mothers. Back then they used lard or crisco. :) Its pretty much like many pie crust recipes. I just want you to have a good basic one that you can use for many different things.**
Like I said it is very flakey this is because there is a lot of fat in it. The fat choice is up to you. I used butter in this recipe but I often times use organic palm shortening or earth balance. Either of them work well.

Also make sure your butter is cold, room temperature butter will cause your dough to be greasy not flakey. And use really cold water too. 

Really Flakey Pie Crust

(1 - 9" crust)

1.25 cup  organic flour (einkorn, whole wheat pastry/white spelt blend, or all purpose)

1/4   tsp  sea salt

1/2  cup  fat of your choice, cut into pieces (butter, earth balance, shortening, coconut oil)

up to 1/4  cup  ice water

Add the flour and fat to a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or fork work the fat into the dough until it begins to get crumbly and resemble peas. When it looks like this you can start adding the water 1 Tb at a time. Continue adding water and mixing in between until a soft ball forms and the sides of the bowl are clean. Do not add too much water, it will make the dough sticky. Pat the ball into a round disc then wrap it in plastic wrap and set in refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight. When thoroughly chilled remove from fridge and press it out onto a floured surface. Begin working it out from the center of the disc with a rolling pin until you reach the desired shape, thickness and size. Make sure to keep enough flour under the dough so it doesn't stick to the surface. 

To remove and place in a pie pan etc.: place your rolling pin at one end of the circle/rectangle and roll the dough up onto the rolling pin, rolling the crust around the pin then transfer it to your dish and unroll. It makes it easier to move the crust without tearing it. If you are prebaking the crust for your pie you will need to freeze it before baking to make sure it doesn't slip down on the sides and become a mess in the oven. Its also a good idea to use beans inside the crust when baking so it creates a nice smooth bottom. Make sure to place a piece of parchment between the crust and dry beans.

bake at 425-450 for 10 min. for prebaked crust.

**You can add 1-2 Tb sugar to the recipe for a sweet crust. 

You can make dumbling's out of this for the top of cobbler or a savory casserole. Cut it into squares and place on top before baking.