If you want to make the kind of pies you see in the bakery case,you may be surprised to learn some tricks of the trade that will make your pie crust flaky every time. Understand that pie dough is not bread dough. It is not to be kneaded or over mixed. The best tool for mixing the shortening into the flour is your hand.
Good cooks use their hands routinely.
They wipe out bowls with their fingers, mix salads with their fingers, and create flaky pie crusts with, you guessed it, their fingers. Crust will flake if you put a cold pie crust into a hot oven. After you mix the pie crust until it resembles small peas, you wrap it in wax paper or saran wrap and refrigerate it for awhile. When mixing any liquid into a pie dough, be sure it is cold. Roll out the refrigerated pie dough and fill with your favorite filling.