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1-1/2 cups cake flour (I often use all purpose)
Sift flour and salt. Blend in vegetable shortening by cutting in with 2 knives or a pastry blender to size of small peas.
Add liquid just sufficient to make a soft dough.
Refrigerate dough at least 1 hour, well wrapped, in a ball.
Roll out as usual.
Poster's Notes:
I have never made butter or margarine crusts, as I learned pie making from my mother, who learned from her "Aunt Chick's Pies" booklet.
Here is Mother's recipe, preserved on a 3"x5" card and given to me over 43 years ago.
You can now get vegetable shortening in the US made without trans fats.
Posted by Wendy Baker
Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (measured by packing, not water displacement method)
1/2 tsp. salt
4-5 tbsp. orange juice (ice water is OK, too)
In the US, traditional pie crusts are not butter- or margarine-based, but use vegetable shortening. These crusts, historically, developed from lard crusts. These are the crusts generally used in fruit or meat pies.