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Makes dough for one 2-crust pie
15 minutes preparation time, plus at least 15 minutes chilling time
3 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
4-6 tablespoons cold water
If you have a food processor, add all the ingredients except the butter and water into the food processor bowl and pulse a few times. Add the butter and pulse a few more times until the butter becomes small pieces, ranging in size from grains of sand to tiny pebbles. If you do not have a food processor, whisk the flour, salt, and sugar together. Add the butter and mix it into the flour mixture quickly with your fingers.
Turn the flour mixture into a large bowl. While mixing, add 4 tablespoons of cold water. If the dough does not hold together after you have mixed in the water, add one tablespoon at a time of water until it does. Form the dough into a large ball with your hands. Cut the ball into two pieces, one slightly larger than the other. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap.
Chill the dough for at least 15 minutes and up to a couple of days. If you have refrigerated it for more than a few hours, when you are ready to use the dough, leave it on the counter for 10 to 15 minutes to let it soften a bit before you roll it out. It will still be quite firm, but if you stay at it with the rolling pin, it will roll out.
The larger piece will go on the bottom of the pie plate; the smaller one on top.