Marcia Harrod’s No-Fail Crust by jej

[S_Wirth]

Marcia Harrod's No-Fail Crust

Submitted by: jej
Last Updated: 5/29/2010

I was given this recipe by a teacher with whom I worked. She says you can roll and re-roll it to you heart's content and it will always be flaky and earn you compliments. She uses a Cuisinart, but you could use a pastry blender or two knives or...

This makes enough for a two-crust 9" or 10" pie. It might make enough for 3 8" pie shells. The notes are hers.

3 c. AP flour
1 t. salt
(you can add a T. sugar if you like a sweeter crust. I do sometimes.)
1 1/3 c. shortening (I use half and half cold butter and Crisco)

1 egg
1t+. white vinegar (I use what I have on hand: apple cider or wine vinegar is fine)
5T. cold water

Put flour and salt (and sugar, if used) in bowl of Cuisinart. Pulse a couple of times to mix. Add shortening/butter in clumps and pulse until evenly distributed as pea size or smaller. Put rest of ingredients in a small bowl and mix with a fork or whisk until frothy. Pour into bowl. Pulse until mixture is lumpy and comes together in large clumps BUT NOT INTO A BALL.

Turn out onto a lightly floured board and lightly knead until you have a flat round shape. Make two balls. Roll one out (I swear by a pastry cloth and rolling pin "sock.")

If it breaks as you put it in the pan, do what I learned from watching Julia Child: take a bit of the extra dough, wet it slightly with water and press into the tear! No one will know or see.

I put it in the refrigerator or freezer while I'm preparing the filling, then put the filling in and put it back in the refrig while I roll out the top crust, if needed. If not, put in a zip-lock bag and freeze.

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[Rascals1]

Swirth this recipe is over 100 years old, my grandmother first gave it to me, but hers was with 2 cups of flour. It is a good one.

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