Pie Crust by Hand

Makes one 9 inch double-crust pie shell.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (12 1/2 oz)
1 tsp salt
1 tbs sugar
16 tbs butter (2 sticks)
3 tbs  sour cream (1 3/4 oz works perfectly)
1/3 cup ice water (2 2/3 oz)

Whisk flour, salt, and sugar together.  Cut butter into 16 pieces and add to flour mixture.  Cut butter into flour mixture by rubbing butter between between thumb and forefingers using a snapping motion.  Work quickly so butter doesn’t melt.  The mixture is done when the butter is pea-sized and the dough is a cornmeal texture.

Mix ice water and sour cream in a bowl with a fork. Pour into flour/butter mixture and fluff/mix with fork until dough starts to come together. On a piece of plastic wrap each, forming into two flattened discs about 4 inches in diameter and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Place a disc on a floured board on granite counter and turn dough at a 22° angle (one eighth of a circle) after every roll making sure to keep each side lightly floured.  Roll until about one eighth of an inch thick or until it fits into a 9 inch pie dish.  Repeat with other piece and roll until you can cover your filling.  Here’s a link to my apple pie filling recipe.  Cut edges with scissors so there is a 1/2 inch overhang, crimp dough edges, refrigerate for 2o minutes and then bake!

Alternatively, to make in food processor:

Process flour, salt, and sugar together in food processor until combined, about 3 seconds. Add butter and pulse until butter is size of large peas, about ten 1-second pulses.

Using fork, 1 3/4 ounces of sour cream and 1/3 cup ice water in small bowl until combined. Add half of sour cream mixture to flour mixture; pulse for three 1-second pulses. Repeat with remaining sour cream mixture.

Divide dough into 2 balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk; wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate until firm but not hard, 1 to 2 hours, before rolling.

Place a disc on a floured board or granite counter and turn dough at a 22° angle (one eighth of a circle) after every roll making sure to keep each side lightly floured.  Roll until about one eighth of an inch thick or until it fits into a 9 inch pie dish.  Repeat with other piece and roll until you can cover your filling.  Here’s a link to my apple pie filling recipe.  Cut edges with scissors so there is a 1/2 inch overhang, crimp dough edges, refrigerate for 2o minutes and then bake!