All-Butter Pie Dough Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour measured by "dip and sweep" method (See Cook's Tips)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 14 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces and kept cold

Directions:

1. In a large, chilled bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Sprinkle butter over flour. With a pastry blender or your clean, cold hands, mix butter into flour mixture until ingredients look like cracker crumbs with lumps the size of peas and almonds.
2. Sprinkle 1/2 cup ice water over dough. Stir it in with a fork. Squeeze a handful of dough with your hand; it should keep together and feel moist. Add additional ice water, as needed, until dough holds together and you can gather it up to form into a ball with the texture of cool clay or play-dough.
3. Place ball on a very lightly floured work surface. Cut into two equal pieces. Form each into a chubby disk about 5-inches in diameter. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap or a food-safe plastic bag dusted with a bit of flour. Chill at least 1 hour.
4. To roll out dough for a pie or tart, remove dough from refrigerator and place on a lightly floured pastry cloth or work surface. Let rest at room temperature for a few minutes, until slightly soft and easy to roll.
5. Dust top of dough with a little flour to prevent sticking while rolling. Roll dough out from the center in all directions, adding a bit more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Form a circle about 2 inches larger than your pie or tart pan, or as your recipe directs. Carefully drape dough over your rolling pin, and gently fit it into the pan. If making a double crust pie, roll out second disk of dough to place over filling. Crimp or scallop crust edge, as desired. Follow your recipe for filling and baking pie or tart.
6. Cook's Tips:
7. To measure flour, dip a dry ingredient measuring cup into flour and level off the top with a straight edge.
8. The key to good pie crust is to avoid overworking the dough and melting the butter into the flour before it is baked. Keep ingredients and tools as cold as possible ? including your hands!
9. Instead of all butter, you can use 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter and 8 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening or cold leaf lard.
10. If your crust breaks, don't worry! Brush a little water where it needs to be patched, and "glue" on the patch piece.