Three steps to a tender, flaky piecrust:
1. Cold ingredients are key to a flaky crust. Using ice water and cold shortening and/or butter is very important. When the pie crust goes in the oven, the cold shortening will stay solid long enough for the crust to set, creating small "pockets" in between the layers of dough as it melts. Voila!--flaky crust.
2. Minimal handling helps to achieve a tender crust. Think of a nice, crusty, chewy piece of bread...it got that way by lots of kneading to develop the gluten in the flour. This is exactly what you are trying to avoid when making a tender pie crust. Handle the dough just enough to mix it and roll it--no more. Should the pastry tear, patch carefully rather than trying to re-roll. Also, do not re-roll scraps.
3. Proper rolling is another way to avoid excess handling. Roll the dough from the center out, lifting the pin after each roll. In addition to keeping the dough tender, this method will also help you achieve a nice, round shape. Be careful not to pull or tug the dough when fitting it in the pie pan--it can cause the dough to shrink when baking.
Other things to remember:
Chilling the pastry dough after mixing tenderizes it, keeps it from shrinking during baking, and makes it easier to handle. If time allows, chill dough again once it has been placed in the pie tin before baking.
I find that heavy glass pie plates work the very best. Dark or non-stick pie tins don't always brown evenly. Also, when you are putting the dough into the pie tin, press it firmly into place so that no air will be left between dough and pan to form blisters during baking.
Always start the baking in a very hot, preheated oven. The contrast between the coolness of the dough and the heat of the oven causes rapid air expansion and contributes to the desired lightness of the texture.
Pie crust freezes beautifully. I prefer rolling out the dough before freezing and having it ready in a tin rather than freezing a ball or a disk of dough. It's easier, and it can be filled and baked right away.
If the pie is to be baked unfilled (as for cream pies), prick the dough generously with a fork after you have placed it in the pie pan, or you can weigh the bottom with pie weights, beans or rice. This keeps the crust from developing steam pockets, bubbling up in some places, and baking unevenly. Usually pie crust bakes in a 425 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes. Watch it closely because once it begins to brown, it goes very quickly, and overdone pie crust can taste a little like saltine crackers.
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