Flaky Pie Crust

Instructions

Whisk the flour, salt and sugar together in a deep bowl. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and add them to the flour.

Work the butter into the flour with a pastry blender or two butter knives until it is broken into small, pea-sized pieces.

Add the cold water and cut it in with the edge of a rubber spatula until the mixture is evenly moistened and holds together when pressed.

Form the dough into a ball with your hands, kneading in any loose flour. Do this as quickly as you can so the butter does not melt, and handle the dough as little as possible to keep the crust tender. Chill it for 10 to 20 minutes.

Cut the dough in half. On a lightly floured board, roll each half out until it will cover a 20 cm (9 inch) pie dish with about 2 cm (¾ inch) of overhang.

Lay the bottom crust in the dish, making sure there are no gaps between the crust and the bottom of the dish. Fill it with your pie filling, then place the top crust over it with an equal overhang on all sides.

Trim the overhang to about 2 cm (¾ inch) all around. Tuck the combined top and bottom overhang into the dish behind the bottom crust, then pinch the ridge into a decorative edge with your fingers or press it with a fork.

Brush the top with milk, sprinkle with sugar, and cut vents in the top crust so steam can escape.

For a fruit pie, bake on the lower-middle rack at 220 °C (425 °F) for 30 minutes to set the crust. Lower the oven to 180 °C (350 °F) and bake another 30 minutes to cook the filling.