Barefoot Contessa's Perfect Pie Crust

Total Time: 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 12 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
• 6 -8 tablespoons ice water (about 1/2 cup)

Recipe

• 1 dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture.
• 2 place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix.
• 3 add the butter and shortening.
• 4 pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas.
• 5 with the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball.
• 6 dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball.
• 7 wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• 8 cut the dough in half.
• 9 roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board.
• 10 fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan.
• 11 repeat with the top crust.
• 12 **ina garten prefers to use crisco shortening, that has been stored in the refrigerator.
• 13 ***cook time does not include 30 minute refrigeration time.