How to Make Pie Crust, in Pictures

Measure Out the Dry Ingredients

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Measure out the dry ingredients, preferably using a scale. Pictured: 12 1/2 ounces (or two and a half cups) all-purpose flour.

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Combine the Dry Ingredients

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Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.

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Cube the Butter

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Cube the butter. If it softens considerably during the process, don't fret. Simply corral the cubes into a bowl and chill it in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes or until firm.

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Cut the Butter into the Flour Mixture

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Cut the cubed butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, rocking the blender back and forth. Alternatively, rub the butter into the flour mixture using your fingertips.

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Work Until You See Coarse Dough Clumps

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Keep working the butter into the dough until the largest pieces of butter are between the diameter of a dime and a nickel or as pictured.

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Add the Water and Mix

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Add the water and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the dough begins to stick to itself in large clumps.

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Knead the Dough

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Knead the shaggy dough a few times (ideally less than 10 times), until it forms a cohesive mass. Shape the dough into a ball.

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Wrap and Chill the Dough

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Cut the dough in half and flatten each half into a rough disk. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour or up to three days. If you're not planning to use the dough in that time frame, simply move the wrapped dough disks into a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag and freeze for use at a later date.

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Dust a Clean Surface with Flour

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Sprinkle flour on a clean flat surface (either a cutting board or a clean countertop). Place the dough disk on the floured surface and sprinkle both sides with a generous dusting of flour. Dust the rolling pin with flour as well.

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Roll Out the Dough

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Roll out the dough, periodically lifting and turning the dough mass, and adding flour as necessary, to ensure that you're left with a roughly circular shape.

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Transport the Dough to the Pie Plate

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Loosely wrap the rolled-out dough around a rolling pin for easy transport from the countertop to the pie plate.

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