Pie Crust - NO WHINING ALLOWED OR NEEDED, LOL!

Now you're thinking how can Ruthy make pie crust interesting.

She can't.

BUT SHE CAN MAKE IT TASTE PASTRY-FLAKY GOOD AND THAT'S THE MAIN THING.

SO:
4 cups flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt

Mix these together. With a fork. This is EASY-PEASY, no complaining allowed.

I like to use bread flour. I get the Baker's and Chef's from Sam's club... the 25 lb. bag. Yes, I'm THAT DEDICATED to baking.

But here's a more normal version, LOL! 

Then cut in with our handy-dandy pastry blender or two knives criss crossing each other:

1 3/4 cup Crisco

Mixture will look suspiciously like the topping for Dutch Apple pie only won't taste as sweet. Try it. You'll see I'm right.

Now mix in a smallish bowl:

3/4 cup water
1 egg
1Tablespoon vinegar

Add this to Crisco/flour mixture. Mix with fork until mixture leaves side of bowl. If too dry add a little more water.

Roll into ball.

Cut ball into 5 equal wedges or 4 if you like super-huge, ginormous pie-pans like I do.

Each wedge should be slightly flattened and rounded (pancake shape) and wrapped in plastic wrap. Each will make one pie crust. 

When ready to make pie, roll a flattened piece out on a flour covered table or countertop. I do not use cloths. Or boards. Or anything fancy. Just flour and a good, solid, kid-training rolling pin.

If it stops rolling EASILY (about six or seven strokes in) roll flattened crust up onto rolling pin, re-dust counter or table with flour (making messes is fun and crucial in a good kitchen) and then unroll the crust back into the fresh dusting of flour and keep doing this sweet maneuver until the crust is about four inches bigger than the pie pan...  This gives you room for sides and fluting.

(I love that word, Fluting)

Roll the crust up, around the rolling pin and gently unroll into pie pan. Sometimes it tears. Sometimes it doesn't. No biggie.

And if you mess up, this is the worlds MOST FORGIVING CRUST!!!!  You can re-roll and it still tastes wonderful. Flaky. Delicious.

I keep a bunch in the freezer. I wrap the small sections in plastic wrap and then pop them into a freezer bag and just pull out however many I need. They don't take long to thaw and presto-chango!!!  Pie crust.