You can use this basic pie crust recipe for fruit pies, pot pies, and quiches. It also works for tarts, turnovers, hand pies, pasties, empanadas, samosas, and more. All you need is a rolling pin and a few basic ingredients.

If you don’t have a rolling pin, you can always use a wine bottle to roll out the crust. You get extra basic points if you use a bottle, but I do recommend buying or thrifting a rolling pin. It’s an essential baking tool, especially if you like pie.

This recipe makes two pie crusts. If you only need a bottom crust, either halve the recipe or store half the dough for later. It will keep up to a week in the refrigerator, but you’ll need to thaw it before rolling.

Basic Vegan Pie Crust

(makes 2, for a double-crust pie)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) vegan butter or shortening
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 3 to 4 Tablespoons cold water

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt.
2. Cut the butter or shortening in, using the tines of a fork or a pastry knife.
3. When you have a flaky, oatmeal-like texture, start adding cold water one tablespoon at a time while squishing the dough together with your hands. Your pie dough should be pliable—not wet and sticky, not stiff and floury.
4. Divide the dough into halves and roll each half into a ball.
5. Sprinkle some flour on a clean countertop and on your rolling pin and on a ball of dough. Roll out the dough into a circle about 1/8 inch thick.
6. Place the first circle into a pie plate for the bottom crust, then repeat the previous step to roll out the upper crust.
7. Fill the pie. Drape the top crust over the pie and crimp the top and bottom crusts together with your fingers or the tines of a fork. Prick vents into the top crust with the point of a knife before baking.