The flakiest pie crust

Some people hate the crust, some people love it.  Personally, I am for the tastiest crusts you can find, but I had a grandmother who made the real deal.

Do not expect this to taste like a flavor-less grocery store crust (though it might not be as pretty), but do expect a flaky, tasty finished product.

This recipe makes two crusts: a top and a bottom to a covered pie, or two separate bottom-only pies.
Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter, cold but not frozen (sitting in the fridge overnight, at the least)*
2 1/2 cups flour (I like do 2 1/4 cups flour and 1/4 cup almond flour or ground almonds for the flavor and crunch, but that's purely personal)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup of water

Directions:
 Set your water in the freezer while you do the first steps.  You want it to be very cold.

Put flour and almond flour (if using) in a large mixing bowl with sugar and salt.   Give it a quick stir to make sure the sugar and salt are evenly mixed throughout the flour.

Set the COLD butter (I mean it!  Not room temperature, melted, or soft.  COLD)  in the bowl.  With a pastry cutter (see one here) or two knives, cut the butter up into the flour until it looks like cornmeal (you'll still see flecks of butter.  That's fine!  It makes it tastier)

Now pull your water out of the freezer and add it in.  Start with 4 tablespoons, then work your way up one tablespoon at a time until the dough is sticking together, but not sticky on the outside.  If a little flour remains on the bottom, press the dough down into it and knead just a few times (You don't want it to get hot) until the flour is all incorporated.

Divide dough in half and pat into a disc.  Cover with cling wrap and set in the fridge for at least 2 hours.  (I've found that leaving the dough overnight can make it too hard to work with for me.  I don't much recommend it.)

Take your discs out and roll them out, one at a time, on a lightly floured surface.  You'll probably need to put a bit on top of the dough too to keep it from sticking to your rolling pin.  Dough should be about 1/4 inch thick to stretch out to the proper size for a 9 inch pie pan.  To make moving the crust over to the pan easier, roll it around your rolling pin, then slide it off into the pan.

For the most attractive crust you can manage, fold any excess crust back under the edges forming a fairly regular circle around the edge of the pan.  Then, using your thumbs, press the dough over and in with just a little space in between your thumbs all the way around.

Bake about 10 minutes before you add the pie filling, or as the recipe directs.  (without filling, the bottom can rise.  You can put a handful of dried beans in the bottom or pie beads and it will keep it flat.  Really not the end of the world, though.



*Do not melt your butter or soften it!  If you do, you'll have a thick, solid, dense pie crust.