In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Cut in shortening with a pastry cutter. Mix well.
In a small bowl, beat together vinegar, egg and cold water.
Add dry flour mixture to wet mixture and mix together until it forms small balls.
Mix well until you can form it into a large ball. * Don't be afraid to really get in there with your hands! If it feels gooey, add a little more flour. Add only 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until it no longer feels gooey or wet. You don't want it too dry, as it won't roll out properly (and you will have additional flour on the board - be very careful not to use too much flour!)
Roll dough out onto a lightly floured surface to about a ¼ of an inch thick. If you are are making pie, then lay your pie plate upside down on the dough. Do the same with tarts, using the aluminum tart plates.
Cut out a circle around it, leaving yourself additional space -at least an inch or two. * You will trim the pie shell later (once it's in the pie plate).
Spray your pie plate with non- stick cooking spray, flip over the pie plate, then gently pick up the crust and place it in the pie plate. *Some people like to use a rolling pin to transfer it to the pie plate (as in the video in post), but I do not use that method. * See Top Tip on rips/tears
Trim the pie once the filling is in and you have put the 2nd pie crust on top, if you are doing a double crust pie. I trim a little, then use a fork to press the ends down (see Video on how to crimp a pie crust with a fork in post), then trim a little more if I need to. * I prefer to use kitchen shears to trim at this stage, as it gives you more control. Add some venting slits by cutting small triangles into the pie with a small paring knife.
Bake as per instructions for the pie recipe you are making (they usually require 30-40 minutes, the first 10 minutes at 400 degrees F and the remainder of the time at 350 degrees F) until golden brown. If you are baking tarts, it's about half the time.