I have had the best luck with a recipe that uses 3/4 cup of butter (I use European style, non cultured) and 1/4 cup shortening. I also add a tsp of sugar to the flour and 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract to the ice water when I'm making a crust for sweet pies. You can add in a pinch of finely grated lemon zest for a subtle flavor.
If I'm making a crust for savory pies, I omit the the sugar and extract and crush a clove of garlic into the water just to infuse the flavor then dispose of the pulp and also add some finely minced herbs to the flour.
Flakey pie crust is as much about technique as it is about the fat.
I prefer to use all butter b/c of the taste. Check out this blog post with a taste test of different crusts. http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/08/pie-fats-revealed/
I like to use butter and shortening. Then use vodka as the liquid if needed. That provides liquid but prevents gluten formation. Of course since butter contains a significant amount of water there will be some gluten.
If I can get leaf lard, that is my favorite. But very difficult to come by here in TX
butter is much better than shortening flavorwise. If you can get your hands on rendered leaf lard - that is supposed to be the penultimate in flakiness and flavor when mixed with butter. This NY Times article does a great job explaining what works best - and she definitely experimented with a lot of different types of fat! http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E6DC173EF936A25752C1A9609C8B63
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If I'm making a crust for savory pies, I omit the the sugar and extract and crush a clove of garlic into the water just to infuse the flavor then dispose of the pulp and also add some finely minced herbs to the flour.
Flakey pie crust is as much about technique as it is about the fat.
If I can get leaf lard, that is my favorite. But very difficult to come by here in TX