Pie Crust

Makes one piecrust, which is to say just the bottom. Double the recipe if you want to have enough to have a pie with a top crust too (such as a pot pie or apple pie, as opposed to an open topped pie like pumpkin or banana cream).

1 stick butter

1 1/4 cups flour (plus a bit extra for rolling out dough)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup water

Cut butter into sugar cube-sized pieces and freeze for at least half an hour. Mix flour and salt in a medium bowl. I also freeze the flour and salt, although for less time, which means the warm dry ingredients won't thaw the butter prematurely.

Toss the flour with the butter, and place on a clean surface (a clean counter or table, or use a pastry cloth or a large cutting board). Roll out the butter/flour mixture for a few minutes, until it looks like peeling paint (and still clearly a butter and flour mix, not a dough). You want the butter flat and coated with flour.

Pour mixture into bowl and add water, stirring with a spoon on mixing with your hands. You should quickly have a dough, which you will knead once or twice (try not to over-mix/knead, as this will make it less flaky, but also don't stress about it, because it will taste good anyway).

Wrap the dough and chill it for ~30 minute, then roll it out (adding flour to your surface if it sticks, or letting it warm slightly if it crumbles, but avoiding adding more liquid if you can avoid it).

Mold the dough to your pan or form into whatever shape you want, and bake and fill or fill and bake as the recipe requires.

(Adapted from The Clueless Gourmet)