Measure out the shortening into about 1 tablespoon chunks and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Put flour and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse for about 10 seconds to combine.

Add frozen shortening chunks and pulse 5-10 times until the pieces are small. Do not over mix!

Add ice water and pulse until the dough starts to come together.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and form into a disk.

Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.

When you are ready to bake the pie remove dough from the refrigerator and begin to roll out on a lightly floured surface (you may need to let it sit out for 5-10 minutes depending on how long you chilled it). Roll the dough into a just over a 12 inch diameter circle that is 1/4 inch thick, then use a 12 inch cake circle as a guide to cut out a circle of dough.

Transfer the dough to a 9 inch pie plate (glass or aluminum). It will overhang the sides a bit. Use your fingers to fold the dough under and crimp the edges.

Cover the pie shell in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge until you are ready to make the filling.

Preheat the oven to 350F

If you are using flax mix the flax seed and water well then set aside to allow to thicken. If you don't have flax seed you can use 1 Tbsp of homemade egg replacer instead, but wait to mix it with water until just before adding to the remaining ingredients

Arrange pecan halves in the bottom of a 9 inch pie crust (either homemade or a frozen store bought one). If you can't fit all of the pecans in a single layer you can double up or add the remaining pecans after you have added the filling. Put the crust back in fridge until filling is ready.

Put the vegan butter in a glass bowl and microwave at half power for 30 second intervals until melted. Alternatively you can melt the butter on the stove top using low heat and stirring until melted.

Add non-dairy milk and vanilla to the melted butter. If the butter starts to firm up you can re-microwave to get it melted again.

Add sugar, brown sugar, and flour. Mix well then add in the flax (or powdered egg replacer that has been mixed with water). Whisk until smooth.

Gently pour filling mixture over the pecans in the pie crust as to not disturb them too much. Top with any remaining pecans then bake (on a cookie sheet if using an aluminum pan) for 45-55 minutes @ 350F.

If the crust starts to brown put an aluminum foil ring around it about half way through baking.