Aunt Judy's Foolproof Pie Crust

Recently I conquered my 20-something year fear of pie making.  I made my husband's grandmother's Coconut Cream Pie recipe for Pi Day.  The recipe was a little vague and called for a baked pie shell.  I figured if I was going to go all out and actually make a pie, then I should make the crust too.  My Aunt Judy was a fabulous pie maker.  Mr. Devilish Dish LOVED her chocolate pie.  I knew I could not fail if I used her pie crust recipe.  Like many older recipes, it too was a little vague.  My guess is there is enough dough for an accomplished pie maker to make two crusts.  This non-accomplished pie maker made one slightly too-thick crust and threw some dough out.  Had I been making a fruit pie, there certainly would have been enough crust to create some lattice strips or other design.  Since my recipe only called for a single crust baked shell, that's what I created.  And while it was probably too thick by State Fair Pie Judging standards, it tasted delicious and for my first try I think it looked pretty good too.  Whether you are a pie genius or a pie novice, I think you'll appreciate how tasty and flaky this crust is.  I'm excited about the success and I'm anxious to use this crust recipe and get a little more adventurous on my next try.  Let me know what kind of pie you intend to bake in it!

If I can do this, you can too!

I love that the dough only needs to chill 15 minutes
because I am the most impatient person in the world.
I will skip a recipe if the dough needs to chill for hours.

I rolled the dough out on a floured surface with a rolling pin.
I'm positive I got it too thick, but it was really important
to me that the crust edges stay intact and make a pretty pie
since I was making this in honor of my husband's Mamaw.

Here's my finished
Coconut Cream Pie

If you aren't a pie maker like me,
then I hope you too will get inspired.
It certainly helped that I had this
truly foolproof recipe.

Aunt Judy's Foolproof Pie Crust

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cup shortening
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 egg
1/2 cup water

Cut first four ingredients with pastry blender.  In separate dish beat remaining ingredients.  Combine the two mixtures.  Mold into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 15 minutes before rolling.  Dough can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen.

Prep Time:  Approximately 15 minutes

NOTE:  I googled had to pre-bake or "blind bake" my crust.  I placed the baking rack on the lowest level of the oven and preheated it to 400 degrees F.  After rolling out my dough and placing the crust into my pie pan, I pricked the bottom several times with a fork.  Then I covered the bottom with a piece of aluminum foil and covered with pie weights.  (You can also used dried beans.)  The weights keep the bottom from bubbling up during baking.  Bake approximately 10-12 minutes or until the dough has lost the raw look.  Remove the foil and weights and return to oven anywhere from 6-20 minutes.  (This depends on what kind of filling you are using.  Your recipe should give you a better idea.  Now you have a pre-baked or blind-baked crust ready for your favorite pie recipe.