Ad Hoc Ultimate Pie Crust

Hands down the best pie dough I have every made or eaten.  This has great flavor and results in a very flaky tender crust.

Yield: one double or one single crust pie dough

Double Crust Pie:

2 1/2 cup flour
1 1/4 t salt
2 1/2 sticks (10 oz) unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces and chilled
about 5 T ice water

Single Crust Pie:

1 1/2 cup four
3/4 t salt
1 1/2 sticks (6 oz) unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces and chilled
about 3 T ice water

Combine flour and salt in a bowl. 

With a pastry blender work until butter is the size of peas.  Do not over work.

Sprinkle on the water and mix with a fork.   (If it's a dry day, add an extra tablespoon of water). If you've done this right, the dough is not yet holding together.  Again with the pastry blender, work the water into the flour until it starts to all hold together and no more.  Knead the dough briefly just until smooth.  This will be less than ten times. The dough should still be cool to touch, if it's warm you've over worked it.

Roll into a ball and flatten into a 3/4" thick disk (or two disks for a double crust, one disk slightly larger than the other).  Wrap in plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for an hour or up to two days.

If the dough is too hard to roll, let rest at room temp.  Do not roll by force, you will stretch it and it'll shrink when baking.