Pie Crust

Original recipe from family.

Yield: 2 (9-inch) pie shells, or 1 top and 1 bottom

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 c white flour (may use 1 c whole wheat)
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 c butter
• 1 t vinegar
• 1 egg 
• 1/3 c milk

Directions (unless provided in filling recipe):

1. Preheat oven to 425.  Sift flours and salt, cut in butter (this step works great in a food processor, but can be done with a pastry cutter or using a butter knife in each hand).  Whisk vinegar, egg, and milk; mix briefly into crust (keep it crumbly). Break in half for pie top & bottom.
2. Roll out on a floured surface using a flowered rolling pin (here's my favorite).
3. Place in pie pan, trimming sides 1" from pan edge, then fold edge in and press decoratively. Trimming can be baked into cinnamon toast scraps.
4. Bake 15 min, reduce heat to 350 and bake 35-45 min more, or bake as directed in recipe.
5. Great for dinners like quiche & pot pies or other desserts like apple dumplings. 

Tips:

• To prevent burned edges, wrap pie in foil or pie shield 20 min before removing from oven.
• Dough freezes well!  Ball 1/2 this recipe (for one top or one bottom of a future pie), wrap twice with plastic wrap, label, and freeze.  Place in fridge 12 hours before use, then roll out and bake as normal.
• Other roll-out methods: 
• Roll out using plastic wrap: Dump dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap (1/2 dough for a pie pan, all dough for a 9x13 pan).  Lay another piece of wrap over top and roll dough to fit pan.  Take off top layer of wrap, turn dough over into pan, and take off second layer of wrap, pressing dough into pan (here for pictures).
• Roll out using a pastry cloth and pin cover: Lay pastry cloth on clean counter.  Sprinkle amply with flour.  Insert rolling pin in cover, roll over flour until both cloth and pin cover are well floured.  Dump dough onto cloth and roll.  (When finished, soak and rinse cloth in warm water, lay flat to dry.  Store rolled rather than folded).