Perfect Pie Crust

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After viewing chef after chef and reading cookbook after cookbook I learned the absolute essentials to good pie crust.  You absolutely need ice cold butter and ice cold water and when your pie dough is assembled you need to let it “rest” before attempting to roll it out.  When I begin the process I fill a Pyrex measuring cup with ice cubes and water and put it in the refrigerator.  The next step is taking refrigerated butter and cut it in chunks.  I put the cut up pieces in the freezer and measure my dry ingredients and put the dry ingredients in a food processor.  Due to the fact that I use salted butter, my recipe for pie crust is without salt.

Pie Crust:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 sticks butter
• ½ cup ice cold water
• 1 tsp. salt

1. In a food processor pulse the flour, salt and butter until a crumbly mixture forms – butter should be about pea size.
2. Slowly add in ice cold water and keep pulsing and adding water until the dough is wet enough to form into a ball.
3. Do not overwork (over pulse) the dough OR add too much water, otherwise you will end up with tough dough and the pie crust will not be flaky and tender when baked.
4. Remove the dough from the food processor and put it on plastic wrap. Use the plastic wrap to help form the dough into a round disc.
5. Refrigerate each wrapped disc.  Allow the dough to rest about 30 minutes.
6. When you are ready, take one of the discs out, wait about 5 minutes then begin rolling your crust on a flour dusted surface.  You should notice that the dough is smooth and silky in texture.
7. Roll in a circle, from the center outwards. Make sure you keep lightly dusting the surface of the dough and rolling pin.
8. Rotate the dough and turn it over until you have rolled out the size that you need for your pie plate.

This recipe is for one pie with a bottom and top crust or two bottom crust pies.  Any leftover dough can be rolled out, buttered and cinnamon sugar sprinkled on.  You can then roll up the crust, cut into ½” discs and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes.