Around here we tend to be more engineering-minded cooks, interested in the science of the process, and falling a bit short when it comes to making things look “pretty.” One of the more frustrating areas of cooking was making a pie crust. Sure. I can make a pie crust. But I want that one that is flaky, melt-in-your mouth, and not as tough as shoe leather. After many, many years of countless disappointments, I happened across this one pie crust recipe that has yet to fail me. 

It was in a recipe for a deep-dish apple pie, and I have adapted it for nearly every pie I make, including toll house pie and rhubarb pie with a lattice top. It also works for pumpkin pie.

I do this in a food processor, which makes the process very easy to repeat. You could also use a pastry blender and work the dough by hand — but with that, you are on your own!

The crust makes one deep-dish pie crust with leftover for lattice top or two 8-inch pie crusts.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Directions

• In food processor blend together flour, sugar, and salt.
• Cut butter into thin slices over the top; then pulse and blend until the mixture is crumbly.
• Turn the processor to blend; add two tablespoons ice water. Add two more tablespoons of water one at a time while the processor continues to blend. When the dough rolls itself up into a ball, you are done.
• On a work surface, use the heel of your hand to push the dough 3 or 4 times to develop the gluten.
• Form the dough into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough on the work surface to the appropriate shape.

Follow the recipe you are using from here.