Sweet Pie Crust

By ltrodrigu

I find pie dough easiest to make in a food processor, but you can also use an electric mixer or work it by hand. Whatever the method, remember to work quickly and not over-process.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 4 tablespoons ice water

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from online.wsj.com

Preparation

Step 1

Mix dry ingredients together in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until pea-size clumps form. With food processor off, pour 3½ tablespoons water evenly over top. Pulse until no dry patches remain, taking care not to allow dough to form a ball. Grab a handful of dough and squeeze. If dough will not cohere, add remaining water to dough in food processor and pulse to incorporate. Remove dough from food processor and form a ball with your hands.

Flatten dough into a disk on parchment paper. Place a second piece of parchment on top and use a rolling pin to roll out dough until circle is 13 inches in diameter.

Press dough into a 10-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. To form a thick and sturdy edge, fold excess dough inward and press against sides of tart pan. For a more delicate edge, trim away excess dough. Refrigerate unbaked crust at least 1 hour or as long as 48 hours.

Once dough has rested, preheat oven to 400 degrees and position a rack in lower third. Cover pie crust with a sheet of aluminum foil, gently pressing down over sides and bottom of crust to prevent over-browning. Fill foil-covered crust with dried beans or rice and bake 20 minutes. Remove crust from oven. Discard foil and beans and prick crust several times with a fork. Return crust to oven and bake until golden, 5-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.