There are THREE ingredients in this recipe. Three. I know you can do it! I do love using my food processor for this, and I always use very very cold salted butter. Try this recipe in half batches if you want to practice, and fear not – you can do this!
Makes enough for two 9-inch pie shells
- 1 cup butter (½ pound or 2 sticks), very cold
- 2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 7-8 teaspoons ice cold water
To Make dough in a Food Processor:
With a sharp knife, cut butter into dice size pieces.
Place flour and salt into food processor and pulse once or twice. Add butter and pulse 12 times until it resembles coarse corn meal.
Add 2 teaspoon ice cold water, and pulse, and continue this step until dough just comes together and forms a ball.
Turn onto a floured surface and very, very gently shape into a six-inch disk (picture a wheel of brie). Wrap with saran wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to three days.
To Make Dough by Hand:
Stir flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut butter into dice size pieces and using a pastry blender, two forks or your hands, work the flour into the butter until it resembles coarse cornmeal.
Add 2 teaspoons ice water and mix, adding more water as needed until it just comes together in a ball.
Turn onto a floured surface and very, very gently shape into a six-inch disk (picture a wheel of brie). Wrap with saran wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to three days or freeze for months.
Flour a surface and place chilled dough onto work surface. Using a pastry pin gently roll dough, from middle out, keeping a round shape and being careful not to press down on edges as you roll off the sides. When desired thickness, gently roll onto pin, then unroll over pie plate.