Basic Pie / Pastry Dough

Steps

• Dough: Whisk the flour and salt together in a large bowl.
• Dough: Cut the cold butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with pea-sized butter pieces still visible.

  Tip: If the butter starts to soften while you work, pop the whole bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes before continuing.

• Dough: Stir the vinegar into the ice water, then drizzle it in a tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, until the dough just holds together when squeezed.

  Tip: Stop adding water as soon as it clumps — a wetter dough is harder to roll and toughens as it bakes.

• Chill: Divide the dough in two, flatten each half into a disc, wrap, and chill.
  ⏱ Start 60 min timer
• Roll: On a floured surface, roll each disc from the centre outward, turning a quarter-turn between rolls, into a circle about 2 inches wider than your pie pan.

  Tip: Turning as you go keeps it circular and stops it sticking. If the dough resists and springs back, let it rest 10 minutes — the gluten needs to relax.