Basic Pie Crust

Total Time: 2 hrs 5 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 30 mins Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons vegetable shortening or 8 tablespoons margarine
• 4 ounces low-fat cream cheese
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 8 -10 tablespoons ice water
• 1 tablespoon ice water
• 1 egg

Recipe

• 1 combine salt and flour.
• 2 cut in margarine and cream cheese either using two knives or a pastry blender until the mixture looks like coarse oatmeal.
• 3 combine lemon juice with 2 tbsp of ice water. sprinkle over dough mixture, about 1 tbsp at a time, and mix. the dough should stay rough and chunky, but be able to hold together in a ball. do not add too much water, especially since the dough will become more coherent when left in the fridge. i find that you need about to use all the water in this recipe, but the amount may vary based on your specific environment and ingredients.
• 4 if making bottom and top crust, seperate dough into two balls.
• 5 place in a bowl and cover. leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
• 6 roll out on a floured surface. transfer to a greased pie plate, poke holes with a fork in the bottom of the crust and add filling. cover with second crusts and poke holes (you don't need to poke holes in it if you're cutting out shapes or doing a lattice top crust).
• 7 combine 1 tbsp water with an egg and brush over top of crust.
• 8 bake at 350f for 30-35 minutes, or until top of crust is browned and filling is cooked through.