Pie crust

• 200 g White Wheat Flour
• 1/2 t Medium-Grain Salt
• 1/2 t White Sugar
• 110 g Unsalted Butter, chilled, chopped
• 90 g Water, cold (0-5ºC)

• 320 g White Wheat Flour
• 1 t White Sugar
• 1 t Medium-Grain Salt
• 220 g Unsalted Butter, chilled, divided into 5 g chunks
• 120 g Water, cold (0-5ºC)

Paraphrased from Lisa's directions in Sister Pie¹

1. In a large stainless steel bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt and stir to mix well. Place the sticks of butter in the bowl and coat on all sides with the flour mixture. Using a bench scraper, cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Work quickly to separate the cubes with your hands until the are all lightly coated in flour. Grab that bench scraper once again and cut each cube in half. I always tell my pie dough students that it's unnecessary to actually cut each cube perfectly in half, but it's a good idea to break up the butter enough so that you can be super-efficient when it's pastry blender time.
2. It's pastry blender time! Switch to the pastry blender and begin to cut in the butter with one hand while turning the bowl with the other. It's important not to aim for the same spot at the bottom of the bowl with each stroke of the pastry blender, but to actually slice through butter every time to maximize efficiency. When the pastry blender clogs up, carefully clean it out with your fingers. Continue to blend and turn until the largest pieces are size and shape of peas and the rest of the mixture looks freakishly similar to canned Parmesan cheese.
3. At this point, add the [water] all at once. Use a bench scraper or rubber spatula to scrape as much of the mixture as you can from one side of the bowl to the other, until you can't see visible pools of liquid anymore. Using your hands, scoop up as much of the mixture as you can, and use the tips of your fingers (and a whole lot of pressure) to press it back down onto the rest of the ingredients. Rotate the bowl a quarter-turn and repeat. Scoop, press, turn. With each fold, your intention is to be quickly forming the mixture into a cohesive mass. Remember to incorporate any dry, floury bits that have congregated at the bottom of the bowl, and once those are completely gone and the dough is formed, it's time to stop.
4. Remove the dough form the bowl, place it on a lightly floured counter, and use your bench scraper to divide it into two equal pieces. Gently pat each into a 2-inch-thick disc, working quickly to seal any broken edges before wrapping them tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap. If you're portioning for a lattice-topped pie, shape one half into a 2-inch-thick disc and the other half into a 6 by 3-inch rectangle. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or, ideally, overnight. When you got to roll out the crust, you want the discs to feel as hard and cold as the butter did when you removed it from the fridge to make the dough. This will make the roll-out way easier.
5. You can keep the pie dough in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer for up to 1 year. If frozen, remove the dough and place it in the refrigerator to thaw one full day before you intend to use it. If you're planning to make only one single-crust pie, wrap the discs separately and place one in the freezer.

1. Prepare pie crust following the relevant directions. The pie crust must be chilled before baking.
2. Preheat oven to 425ºF (218ºC).
3. Weigh down pie crust. Press pie crust firmly into the pie plate. Lightly grease one side a large sheet of foil with butter. Press the foil onto the crust butter-side down. Pour some dry rice or beans into the foil.
4. Bake at 425ºF for 12 minutes. Remove from oven. Remove weights and foil.
5. Bake at 350ºF. Reduce oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Bake 10 minutes until the crust turns golden brown color.
6. Cool to room-temperature on a wire rack before filling.