Pie Crust

(Blogger's Note: Best pie crust recipe, hands down! (with that much butter it should be...hehe)

Ingredients:

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup very cold water

3 cups plus 3 tablespoons flour (460 g)

1 cup plus 5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into 1 inch cubes (300 g)

To make the pie crust

I find using weights for measuring flour works MUCH better here, so weigh it if you have a scale.

In a small bowl, dissolve salt in very cold water and keep cold by sticking it in the freezer while you do the next steps.

To make dough with a mixer put flour in the work bowl, scatter butter over flour, and mix slowly until the mixture forms pea-sized crumbs. Add salted water and mix from low to very high for several seconds, until the dough comes together as a ball, but is not completely smooth (you should see some butter chunks).

At this point be careful not to handle the dough to much to keep it as tender as possible. On a floured surface, divide dough into two balls, shape into 2 thick disks, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

About 30 minutes to one hour before you bake the pie roll out one disk on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thick, rolling from the center toward the edge in all directions, lifting and rotating the dough a quarter turn every few strokes. Transfer to the pie plate and press around all of the edges so the crust is flush with the plate. Fill with your pie filling as described below. Roll out the other disk as you did the first and lay over the pie. Trim both the top and bottom crusts so they extend only one inch off of the pie plate. Set the excess dough aside for cookies. Tuck the edges of the crust under and into the pie plate to seal them closed. Crimp if you would like to. Cut some vents in the top of the pie. Give it a good brush of egg wash or heavy cream. Set back into the refrigerator (uncovered is fine) for 30 minutes to one hour. Baking instructions are below.

Source: <http://breadbaby.blogspot.com/2008/10/my-life-in-pie.html>