Pie Dough

Photo: flickr user paul goyette

Ingredients

6 cups pastry or all purpose flour

1 tablespoon salt

3/4 cup vegetable shortening

3/4 cup butter, cold

1 cup ice water

Preparation

Put the flour and salt in a mixer bowl. Use the mixer's beaters to distribute the salt evenly.

Add the butter and lard. Cut them into the flour with the beaters, beginning at a slow speed.

Scrape the sides of the bowl periodically with a rubber spatula. The mixture should look like fine cornmeal, and there should be no large lumps of fat.

Change the beater for the dough hook.

Turn the mixer on slow speed. Slowly add the ice water, being careful not to wet any one spot too much, while distributing it evenly. Stop adding the water when the dough pulls itself into a ball, but is not too sticky. Cover the dough and refrigerate before using.