I have been baking and making pies for my family for many years now (my has wife has had no complaints --- so far). Over time this is what I have discovered: 1) The fat must be completely combined with flour (all particles coated) before water is added. It is best to use a pastry blender or food processor, 2) Use only minimal flour when rolling out dough. 3) Cook pastry at very high heat initially - 435 deg F for 15 minutes. For many years, I've used a leading brand of shortening, and the results were always excellent. Now I use lard and butter exclusively. I switched because of health concerns; I give my reasons below. Shortening used to be made from coconut and palm oils, high in saturates but low in polyunsaturated fats. Recently, shortening has been reformulated for environmental reasons and to further reduce saturated fats, adding oils higher in polyunsaturates, such as soybean oils. This is a problem. A study from De Montfort University in Leicester, U.K. a few years ago, found that oils higher in polyunsaturated fats, when heated to high temperatures, oxidize more readily, forming aldehydes and lipid peroxides that are extremely toxic to the body, and cancer-causing. Ergo, it is not wise to use reformulated shortenings or any oils high in polyunsaturates (soybean, corn, sunflower) for high heat cooking. Acceptable oils are olive and canola, which are lower in polyunsaturates. Although lard fell out of favor because of its high level of saturated fats, recent scientific studies suggest that saturated fats are not as unhealthy as was once believed. Lard and butter are higher in saturated fats, but are extremely low in polyunsaturated fat, thus are safe for high heat cooking and baking.

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