Classic Butter Pie Crust

Combine flour, salt and sugar in a bowl or food processor. Add butter and work into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea-size pieces of butter.

Drizzle in ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing or pulsing until mixture just begins to come together. Pinch a small amount of dough with your fingers – if it holds together without crumbling, the dough is ready. If the dough has dry spots or crumbles easily, add a bit more water.

Gather the dough into a ball and divide in half. Gently shape each half into a round. Wrap one in plastic while you roll the bottom crust. Roll the other ball into a crust and flip gently into the pie plate.

Trim edges and chill for 30 minutes before baking. For the second crust, either repeat the process to bake two one-crust pies, or wait to roll out the top crust until the bottom crust is chilled and you have filled it.

If you like, re-roll the scraps left over and cut decorative shapes with a sharp knife or small cookie cutters. Use a dab of milk or water to stick the decorative shapes on the top crust.

Special notes:

This pie crust can be made gluten-free by substituting your favorite gluten-free flour mix for the all-purpose flour. For a vegan crust, use coconut oil or shortening sticks instead of butter.