For best results, refrigerate all ingredients prior to making the dough - even the flour.
Use pastry flour or all-purpose. Bread flour has too much gluten to make a tender crust, and cake flour is too soft to give the proper body.
Lard and shortening produce the most tender crusts. You may use half lard or shortening and half butter if you want the buttery flavor.
The pockets of fat make the flakiness in the crust. Use a pastry blender or 2 knives to cut in fat. Dough should still have some pea-size pieces. Handle as little as possible with your hands.
All liquids should be ice-cold.
For a flakier crust, substitute ice cold sour cream or heavy cream for the water.
Sugar in a pastry dough sweetens and tenderizes.
Blend liquid in just until the dough begins to hold together. Overworking toughens the dough.
Chill the dough for 30 minutes for easier rolling.
To prevent a soggy crust, refrigerate for 15 minutes before filling or seal by brushing with slightly beaten egg white, then refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Setting the pie pan on a metal baking sheet during baking also helps prevent soggy crusts.
Enhance the flavor of your dough by adding spices such as nutmeg, ginger, or cinnamon.
Meringue won't "weep" if you blend a teaspoon of cornstarch into the sugar before beating it into the egg whites.
Sprinkle toasted ground nuts or fine cookie crumbs over the dough and gently press them in before filling or baking.
