Ingredients:

  • 2 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
  • 1 tablespoon Granulated Sugar (Optional, omit for savoury)
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, very cold and cubed into ½-inch pieces
  • 6 to 8 tablespoons Ice Water, starting with 6 tbsp

Instructions:

  1. Whisk the flour, salt, and optional sugar together thoroughly in a large mixing bowl to ensure even distribution.
  2. Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, quickly cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal, ensuring that pea-sized and lentil-sized pieces of butter remain visible. Do not overwork the dough.
  3. Drizzle 6 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture. Gently toss with a fork until the dough just begins to clump together. If it seems too dry, add the remaining water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough is barely cohesive.
  4. Turn the shaggy dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface. Gently press it together into a unified mass—do not knead. Divide the dough into two equal discs.
  5. Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap, flattening them slightly to aid chilling. Refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours, or preferably 4 hours, until firm.
  6. Lightly flour your work surface. Remove one chilled disc and allow it to sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Roll the dough evenly into a 12 to 13-inch circle.
  7. Carefully transfer the rolled dough into your pie dish. Trim the edges, leaving about a 1-inch overhang. Tuck the overhang under itself and crimp decoratively to seal.
  8. Place the prepared pie shell back into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before filling or blind baking. This crucial step prevents the crust from shrinking during baking.