Ingredients

• • 2 1/4 cups cake flour or 2 cups all-purpose flour
• • 1/3 teaspoon kosher salt
• • 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold butter, cut into small cubes
• • 5 to 7 tablespoons ice water

    

To Prebake the Pie Crust Before Filling

1. Prick the crust in several places with a fork. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 400°F
3. Line the crust with waxed paper and fill with rice or dry deans to add weight. (Save them in a mason jar to reuse the next time. Do not cook them after using for piecrust.) Bake 15 minutes.
4. Remove the waxed paper and weights and bake about 5 to 7 minutes more, until golden brown.
5. Let cool on a rack.

Instructions

1. Mix the flour and the salt. Add the butter and work into the flour with your fingertips just like making biscuits until the mixture has the consistency of grated Parmesan cheese. Mix the cold water by the tablespoon with your fingers until the dough holds together in a rough ball.
2. Flour a sheet of waxed paper or parchment paper. Dump out the dough onto the paper. Flour the top of the dough and cover with another sheet of paper. Place the whole dough "sandwich" on a baking sheet. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.
3. Remove from fridge and leave out for 30 minutes, keeping the dough sandwiched in the paper.
4. With the dough still between the sheets of paper, roll it out to a circle 12 inches in diameter, 1/4 inch think.
5. Peel off the top paper and flip the dough into a 9-inch pie dish.
6. Peel off the other piece of paper. Trim off any extra dough that's hanging over the edge of the pie dish. Press the tines of a fork on the top edge of the crust to crimp it. Fill and bake as the recipe directs.