Don’t be put off making pastry. Whether you mix the dough by hand or you use a food processor, our recipe is as easy as…well, pie. Read our handy tips, too, and you’ll soon be baking up the flakiest, tastiest pies ever.
MAKES: enough for 2 single-crust pies or 1 double-crust pie
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
CHILLING TIME: at least 1 hour
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- Pinch of fine sea salt
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
- ¼ to ½ cup ice water
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Use Cold Ingredients
- Combine the Butter with the Flour Mixture Gently
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- Use a pastry cutter or your hands (or a food processor), just until the butter is in pea-size lumps. Those little bits of butter melt during baking to create pockets in the flour mixture.
- Steam from the melted butter lifts the pockets and makes flaky, crisp layers in the pastry.
- Be Gentle with the Dough and Don’t Overwork It
- Add Only Enough Ice Water So the Dough Holds Together
- Too much liquid and the dough will be tough.
- Refrigerate the Dough Before Rolling It Out
- Ensure it’s as cold as possible before baking.
- Roll Out the Dough on a Lightly Floured Work Surface
- Roll in one direction from the center to the edges and rotate the dough to make an even shape.
