Prebaked Pie Shell

2 c All-purpose flour

1/2 c Lard

2 1/2 tb Unsalted butter

1/2 ts Salt

1/2 c Iced water; about

In a large bowl, combine the flour with the lard, butter, and salt. Mix lightly with your fingertips until the dough forms grapesized pieces. You should still be able to see chunks of fat. Stir in the iced water. Lightly knead, handling the dough as little as possible, until the dough forms a ball. Add a little more iced water if necessary. Transfer to a plastic bag and shape into a log. Cut into 2 pieces and place each inside an airtight bag. Seal the bags, pressing out any air, and chill for 1 hour or as long as 3 days. The pie dough can be frozen for as long as a week. Roll out half of the dough to a 12inch round about 1/8" thick and use it to line a buttered and floured 10" pie pan, pressing the dough well into the bottom and up the sides without stretching. Chill for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350~. Cut out a circle of aluminum foil or parchment paper and fit it into the chilled pie shell. Fill with rice, beans, or ceramic pie weights and bake the pie shell for about 15 minutes, or until the edges are just golden and beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove the paper and the weights and return the shell to the oven to finish cooking for 5 to 10 minutes more. Cool on a rack. Source: Too Hot Tamales, TVFN. MM Waldine Van Geffen vghc42a@prodigy.com.
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