Basic pastry shell

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1¼ cup All-purpose flour
½ teaspoon Salt
½ cup Shortening
3 tablespoons Cold water; up to 4

Directions

Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl; cut in shortening with a pastry blender until crumbly (mixture should have irregular-size pieces).

Sprinkle cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, evenly over surface, and stir with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened. (Squeeze dough firmly between your fingers after adding 3 tablespoons water; if it falls apart, add remaining tablespoon water.) Shape dough into a flattened disk; wrap in plastic wrap, and chill 2 hours or freeze 30 minutes. Let stand at room temperature 5 minutes.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and roll to ⅛-inch thickness.

Place in a 9-inch pieplate. Trim off excess pastry along edges; fold edges under, and crimp. Prick pastry a few times with a fork if baking. (Do not prick if pastry is going to be filled before baking.) Freeze Bake at 450° for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Makes 1 (9-inch) pastry shell.

Notes: This pastry stirs together in 5 minutes, chills in the freezer, and is ready to roll in 40 minutes. Recipe by: Southern Living

Posted to MC-Recipe Digest V1 #1039 by Suzy Wert <SuzyWert@...> on Jan 23, 1998

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