diane's pie crust

I get a lot of recipes from my mom.
We make a lot of things from scratch.
Pie crust is not one of them.

I was intimidated by pie crust for most of my baking career. My mom never found a recipe she loved and in the end, we bought the Pillsbury roll-out crust and then decorated it all nice and fancy! So when my roommate had a pie crust she swore by, I knew I needed to add it to my repertoire. It is easy to work with and tasty. The only odd aspect is the amount. If you have more than you need, just sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar and bake little treats or freeze it for later.

DIANE'S PIE CRUST (makes two 9" double crust pieces and one 9" shell)

4 cups flour
1 ¾ cups vegetable shortening
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 egg
½ cup water

MIX first four ingredients together with a fork. In a separate dish, beat remaining ingredients.

COMBINE two mixtures, stirring with a fork until all ingredients are moist. With hands, mold dough into a ball. Cover and chill 15 minutes before rolling. May freeze until ready to use or refrigerate up to three days.

ROLL and use as desired. To brown, bake at 475°F for 7-8 minutes.