It may seem like a pie crust is just like any other pie crust. But there are definite differences and this pie crust just happens to be one of the best!
In a food processor place flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse just to combine dry ingredients. Sprinkle butter pieces and shorteninng over the dry ingredients and pulse to form a very coarse cornmeal-like mixture. Transfer to a mixing bowl and sprinkle with water. Mix to combine. The dough will still be crumbly.
Pour onto parchment or plastic wrap. Using the wrap, pull up the sides to create a cohesive dough. Form disk and pat into a flat round. Chill for 15-20 minutes. Roll out to fit a 9-inch pie pan. If the dough becomes too soft, place back in the refrigerator to chill. Fill with your desired pie filling and bake according to the recipe.
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Notes
If you want to fully bake the crust preheat the oven to 375°F. Line the chilled crust with parchment and weights filling up the interior of the shell (or dried beans as weights). Bake with weights until the outer crust is set, 15-20 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights, dock the crust and continue to bake until the inside crust is golden, 20-25 minutes.
For an all-butter crust, simply swap the vegetable shortening for 4 tbsp unsalted butter, bringing the total amount of butter to 10 tbsp.