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Ingredients
Directions
Single Crust Pie Shell (Helen Fletcher's No-Fail Pie Crust)
In a large bowl, stir together 1 3/4 cups cake flour or all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, and 3/4 teaspoons salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in 6 tablespoons cut-up cold butter and 3 tablespoons shortening until pieces are pea-size. In a small bowl, stir together 4 tablespoons cold water, 2 tablespoons lightly beaten egg or 1 yolk, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar. Using a large fork, gently toss the flour mixture and egg mixture together. If there are any dry parts add another 1 tablespoon water and gently toss to moisten evenly (should be a mass of very large crumbs). Turn crumb mixture out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently form a ball. Using just a bit of flour, knead 4 to 5 times to form a ball. Flatten into a disc about 1 inch thick. If necessary, wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill 1 to 2 hours or until easy to handle. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough from center to edges into a circle 12 inches in diameter. To transfer pastry, wrap it around the rolling pin. Unroll pastry into a 9-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into pie plate without stretching it and gently fit pastry into dish. Trim the overhang to an even 1 inch all the way around. Tuck the crust under and flute the edges. To prevent overbrowning, cover edges with foil. Bake as directed in individual recipes.