Start with your large mixing bowl. Add the flour to the bowl. Put in the sugar and salt. Use a whisk to combine them. Make sure there are no lumps. This creates an even base.

Add the cold butter and shortening. Use your pastry cutter now. Press down into the flour. Keep doing this until it looks crumbly. You want pea-sized bits of fat. This is the secret to flakiness.

Sprinkle one tablespoon of water at a time. Use a fork to toss the dough. Do not stir it too hard. Keep adding water slowly. The dough should just start to clump. It should not be sticky.

Gather the dough with your hands. Press it into a round disc. Do not kneed the dough. Kheading makes the crust very tough. Work as quickly as you can. Keep the dough cool.

Wrap the disc in plastic wrap. Put it in the fridge. Let it rest for one hour. This relaxes the gluten. It also firms up the butter. Chilling is a very important step.

Put flour on your clean counter. Place the cold dough on top. Use your rolling pin gently. Roll from the center outward. Make a circle larger than your plate. Keep the thickness very even.

Fold the dough in half carefully. Lift it onto the pie plate. Unfold it to cover the dish. Press it into the bottom corners. Trim any extra dough off. Crimp the edges with your fingers.