Ingredients

Make enough for a double-crust-9-inch pie

　　2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

　　3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

　　1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

　　

Step 1

Blend together the flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a large bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) until most of the mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 4 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in food processor) until incorporated.

　　

Step 2

Squeeze a small handful of dough; if it doesn’t hold together, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork mixture, or pastry will be tough.)

　　

Step 3

Turn out the mixture onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 portions. With the heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather the dough together with a pastry scraper, if you have one, and press into 2 balls, then flatten each into a 5-inch disk. Wrap the disks separately in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

　　

Do ahead

Step 4

The DOUGH can be chilled up to 1 day.

　　The Epicurious Cookbook