Single-crust Pie Pastry

Yields 1 (9-inch) pie crust

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

1¼ tablespoons granulated sugar

¾ stick cold, unsalted butter (cubed)

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening (cold)

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking powder

2-3 tablespoons ice water

 

1. Preheat oven to 450° F.
2. Sift flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder into a bowl.
3. Add cold butter and shortening, and quickly mix by hand or use a pastry blender/cutter until mixture is grainy. Sprinkle with ice water to moisten. Form dough into a ball, and slightly flatten into a disk. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate until well chilled.
4. When ready to use, flour working surface and rolling pin. Roll out dough between two pieces of wax paper until dough is approximately 10-12 inches in diameter. Peel off top layer of wax paper, and transfer dough to a greased and floured 9-inch pie pan (paper side up). Peel off remaining wax paper, fit dough into pan, and trim and flute edges.
5. If using a recipe requiring a pre-made pie crust, bake at 450° F for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown; otherwise, bake according to pie recipe.  Note: To prevent pie crust from getting overly browned, cover edges with aluminum foil. Allow to cool thoroughly on a wire rack before adding pie filling.