Add flour and salt to food processor. Pulse a few times until mixed. (Can use pastry blender or two knives instead of food processor).

Add half the butter by pressing the butter cubes into the flour to coat each cube. Pulse the food processor a few times.

Add the remainder of the butter cubes by pressing the butter cubes into the flour again. Pulse the food processor a few times.

Add the shortening in small clumps to the top of the flour.

Pulse the food processor 10-12 times and/or until pea-sized or smaller crumbs—but NOT clumping together.

Measure ½ cup water, then add ice cubes and stir around.

Pour the flour/butter/shortening mixture into a large bowl. Add ice cold water 1 Tablespoon at a time, stirring with a spoon or spatula after each addition.

Stop adding water when you reach 8 Tablespoons of water or when large clumps form. In dry weather, more water may be needed (up to 4 Tablespoons more). But for a flaky crust, don’t add more water than needed.

Use hands to create a large clump/ball of pie dough. Divide in two. Form two round, flat disks that are each 1” thick. Cover both separately with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Add all ingredients into a medium-sized bowl.

Stir and set aside.

Preheat Traeger or conventional oven to 375° F.

When the pie crust has chilled for 2 hours in the refrigerator and the berry filling has been mixed, cover the surface for rolling out your pie crust with a dusting of flour.

Roll out pie crust disk until it is round and ¼” thick. Make sure the round pie crust is at least 1-2” wider diameter than your pie pan.

Flip the pie crust onto the pie pan, centering it as best you can over the center of the pie pan.

Lift the edges of the crust as you gently press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pie pan, until the crust hugs closely to the entire pie pan.

Use a butter knife or sharp knife to cut away the pie crust hanging over the rim of the pie pan. Set aside the bottom crust/pie pan. Wrap left-over pie dough in plastic wrap and continue to chill it in the refrigerator (for use later if needed).

Stir the filling again. Fill uncooked bottom crust with the berry mixture until heaping. Add all the sugar and gel granules as well. Be careful to keep the top rim (outside edge) of the pie crust clean from the berry mixture so the top pie crust will adhere properly.

Cover surface for rolling out the pie crust with a dusting of flour again. Roll out the second pie crust disk until it is round and ¼” thick. Make sure the round pie crust is at least 1-2” wider diameter than your pie pan.

Flip the top pie crust onto the berry filled pie pan, centering it as best you can over the center of the pie pan.

Cut away excess pie crust so that ½-1” pie crust remains around entire edge.

Tuck top pie crust UNDER the bottom pie crust rim/edge around entire edge of pie. (There will be three layers of pie crust.)

Crimp all three layers of the crust together around entire edge of pie crust. (For an easy way to crimp, see details in the post.)

Check for over-hang—pie crust underneath or hanging off the rim of the pie pan and press up and on top of pie plate rim.

With a shape knife, cut 4-8 vent slits in the top of the pie crust.

At this point, the pie can be frozen for up to 3 months. Cover well with plastic wrap and foil.

Brush the top pie crust with egg wash (egg and water). Avoid pooling egg wash in the indentations.

Immediately sprinkle with sugar before egg wash dries.

Put the prepared pie on a baking sheet covered with foil. (I prefer covering the pan lengthwise and crosswise so the foil extends the edges 3-4”.)

Cover the edges of the pie with the excess foil and drape an extra piece of foil on top of the pie. (The drape keeps the pie crust from stabilizing its shape until after the frozen berries have defrosted and deflated.)

Bake pie with the foil drape for 25 minutes at 375° F.

Remove the drape and continue baking for another 45-50 minutes or until browned and bubbly. (For Traeger, cook for another 25 minutes in the Traeger, then 8-15 minutes in a 375° F oven for browning.)

Remove from oven and cool completely at room temperature. Resting overnight or for 2-3 hours will set the filling. Do not put in the fridge—as the filling will sink and pull away from the crust.