The Melaniff Family Cookbook

Basic Pastry

The secret to making flaky pastry is to measure ingredients accurately and mix them properly. If proportions of fat to flour to liquid are off even slightly or if you overwork the dough, your pastry can be tough, soggy, or crumbly.

Ingredients

8-inch Crust:

1 C all-purpose flour

1/2 t salt

1/3 C plus 1 T shortening

2 to 3 T cold water

9-inch Crust:

1 1/4 C all-purpose flour

1/2 t salt

1/3 C plus 2 T shortening

3 to 4 T cold water

10-inch Crust:

1 1/3 C all-purpose flour

1/2 t salt

1/2 C shortening

3 to 4 T cold water

Procedure

Combine flour and salt; cut in shortening with pastry bender until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle cold water (1 tablespoon at a time) evenly over the surface; stir with a fork until dry ingreegiants are moistened. Shape into a ball; chill.

To fit into pie-plate, roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Place in pie-plate; trim off excess pastry along the edges. Fold edges under and flute.

For baked pastry shell, prick bottom and sides of pastry shell generously with a fork. Bake pastry at 450°F for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

From The Southern Living Cookbook, 1987, page 353