1. Blend 1 cup shortening into 2 cups flour, using a pastry blender (seen in the photos) or a food processor (seen in the video). You’ll want to keep blending or pulsing until it’s very fine and the mixture starts coming together. Add salt and honey to the shortening/flour mixture.
2. NOTE: if using butter, stop blending/pulsing when your flour & butter mixture is pea-sized to help keep the butter cold. If using shortening, keep blending or pulsing till the mixture comes completely together.
3. In a small bowl, mix together a slurry by combining 1/2 cup water and 1/3 cup flour mixture. Whisk or stir until smooth and no lumps remain. Pour the slurry over your dough and toss with a large fork until the mixture is one cohesive ball. Dough will be wet.
4. Use a tiny amount of flour to dust your countertop or work surface and turn dough out onto the counter. Sprinkle a tiny dusting of flour over the top of the dough ball (just enough so that it doesn’t stick terribly to your hands), and shape the dough into a ball or disc.
5. Divide the dough in half. Flatten each half into a small disc and wrap in plastic wrap.
6. Refrigerate 20-30 minutes, or until mostly chilled, but still slightly pliable.
7. Note: if you only need one crust for your pie recipe, place the second wrapped disc of dough into a freezer-safe zip top bag and freeze it for up to 3 months.
8. Roll out the dough between to sheets of parchment by laying one piece of parchment paper down on the counter or work surface you’ll be using. Unwrap one disc of dough and place on the parchment. Cover with a second piece of parchment.
9. Starting at the center of the dough and moving outward in all directions, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to a 9 1/2-10″ circle (it doesn’t have to be perfect). If the dough is cracking quite a bit, it’s just a bit too cold. Give it 2-3 minutes to warm up a bit then try again.
10. Remove the top piece of parchment and lay the open side down into your pie plate. Gently and slowly, peel back the second piece of parchment, then pat the dough down into the pie plate. If the dough has any cracks in it, use your fingers as needed to patch up any seams.
11. Even out the edges by either trimming or folding any extra dough under. Then crimp with your fingers as shown, or press down the edges with a fork. Fill with your desired filling, and bake as usual. If you notice the edges browning at any point, you can tent them with foil (this hasn’t been a big issue for me.

To bake with a filling:

1. Just follow your pie filling recipe directions. If your cherry pie bakes for 45 minutes, bake it 45 minutes. If your apple pie bakes for 50 minutes, bake it 50 minutes. This has worked for me for apple, berry, pecan, and pumpkin pies without any problem.

If you are baking it alone to fill with a cream filling later:

1. If you are baking the crust alone to fill with a cold cream later, you can bake it at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until it’s just starting to color around the edges and it’s completely set. Don’t forget to prick the bottom a few times with a fork (or use pie weights) to prevent the bottom from puffing up too much. Also be sure to let it cool completely before adding your filling.