Pie Dough

Combine salt with flour and sift into a medium-size mixing bowl. Add shortening and butter cubes. For a flaky crust, coat the cubes in the flour by rubbing with both hands until evenly coated. Cubes should be pea size; takes about 2 minutes. Do not make cubes too small or the crust will become mealy.

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add milk and blend flour mixture slowly into the milk with your hands until a dough ball is formed. As you form the dough, lightly dust your hands with flour and work the surface with flour. Turn out the dough ball onto a floured surface.

Knead thirty times (counting each time; do not over knead). Divide and make 2 balls of equal size. Wrap one with plastic and freeze for another day. Wrap the other and place in refrigerator to chill for 1 hour before using. Remove from refrigerator and let sit 15 minutes before rolling out.

Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until 1/8-inch thick. Invert a pie pan and place over rolled-out dough. Cut dough in a circle 2 inches out from the edge of the pan. Flip pan over, fold dough in half, and arrange in the pan with fold along the centerline. Unfold and center the dough in the pan. Press down evenly to fit pie pan.

With fingers, roll the dough edges high above the lip of the pan, tucking the dough under carefully from start to finish around entire pan to form a dough-shell crust. Refrigerate the finished dough-shell for one hour before using.