Perfect Pie Crust

Doesn't everyone need a great pie crust recipe?

This recipe is courtesy of Carla Hall, The Chew!

ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Table Salt
• 1/3 cup Water
• 1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold Unsalted Butter (cut into 1/2-inch dice)
• 2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour (plus more for rolling)

directions

In a small bowl, dissolve the sugar and salt in the water. Refrigerate until very cold, about 30 minutes. During that time, refrigerate your butter, flour, mixer bowl, and paddle, too.

Make sure your butter is cut into 1/2-inch dice. Bigger pieces will make your dough puffy. In the chilled bowl, combine the cold butter and flour. With your hands, toss the butter in the flour until each cube is lightly coated.

With the chilled paddle, beat the flour-butter mixture on low speed to just break up the butter, about 30 seconds. Add the water mixture all at once and raise the speed to medium-low. Beat just until the dough comes together in big chunks, then immediately turn off the mixer.

Divide the chunks of dough in half and very gently pat each group into a round 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour, before rolling. You can refrigerate the disks for up to 1 day or freeze for up to 3 months.



Helpful Tips:

1. Make sure that all the ingredients are cold.

2. Mix with your fingertips, not your palms. Fingertips are cool, while your palms are hot.

3. When mixing the flour and butter, pick up some of the flour and butter, squeeze it, and drop it.

4. Make discs with the dough -- rather than a ball -- so that it is easier to flatten.