If you’re a beginner at making foods like pie crusts, biscuits, and flour tortillas from scratch, you might be wondering what the hey that dang recipe means when it says “cut the butter.”  Or in our case, cut the very cold shortening or Nucoa (a dairy-free margarine in stick form)… 
 

Here’s a short video tutorial from Martha Stewart’s website that shows how to do this using a food processor or a hand pastry blender:

Cutting Butter

 

Tips:

I want to emphasize that the dairy-free margarine or shortening you’re using should be VERY COLD.  You can even cut it into cubes and then stick it in the freezer for 10 minutes before you start working it in the flour.

You can also cut butter into flour using two knives, a fork, or your fingertips, but it is a bit more labor intensive.  Good luck – YOU CAN DO IT!!  And remember that practice makes perfect!