In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Whisk them together until well mixed.

Remove 1/4 cup of the flour mixture and whisk into 1/3 cup of cold water in a separate bowl or measuring cup.

Add the cold shortening to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the shortening into the flour. The mixture should resemble coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces.

Add the flour-water mixture to the flour-shortening mix and mix gently, just until combined. (Note: I like to use one hand for this, but a wooden spoon works well, too.)

Gather the dough into a ball. Divide it into two equal portions.

Flatten each portion into a disc and wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. (Note: if freezing, wrap the disc tightly in two layers of plastic wrap and place inside a freezer bag before popping in the freezer.)

Refrigerate the wrapped discs for at least 15 minutes. This step is crucial for a tender, flaky crust.

After chilling the dough, unwrap and place the disc between two piece of wax paper. (If you don't have wax paper, lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin.) Roll out one dough disk into a circle about 1/8 inch thick. Ensure it's large enough to fit your pie pan with some overhang.

Carefully remove one piece of wax paper and lift the rolled dough and place it into your pie pan. Carefully remove the second sheet of wax paper and gently press the dough to fit the pie dish, leaving some overhang around the edges.

Trim the excess dough, leaving about 1 inch hanging over the pan's edge. Fold this under to form a thick edge. Crimp the edge using your fingers or a fork.

If making a single-crust pie, add your pie filling. For a double-crust pie, roll out the second dough disk and place it over the filling as the top crust. Trim and crimp the edges as before. Bake according to your pie recipe's instructions.