There is just something so special about a crust. Whether it's pizza, pie or beef wellington, the crust is the part I look most forward to as the vessel to carry all the deliciousness you are about to enjoy. What's amazing is that making a crust is not hard, which begs me to wonder why for years I was buying pre-made pie crusts (other than for the time-saving piece ooorrrr the fact I was a broke/recently graduated college student and pot pie was what my roommates and I could afford when we wanted to have a homemade meal). Anyways, this crust recipe can be used to make savory pies, sweet tarts or anything you need to crust (this would be what Michael Scott calls a 'win-win-win').

You can make this dough ahead of time, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to two days or freeze for one month.

PRO TIPS:

• In an ideal world, you would have a pastry cutter to blend the flour + butter but since life is not always ideal, one or two forks work great as well and give you a chance to shape those forearm muscles.
• You may have read recipes which say to use your fingers to rub the butter, while definitely do-able not what I would advise as the natural heat from your fingers will melt the butter leading to a not so flaky crust.

• If you want to make this process quicker, you can make the dough in the food processor by placing the four and cold butter in the processor bowl and pulsing to cut the butter into the flour. Then transfer to a large mixing bowl and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
• After mixing in the water, to test the dough pick up about 1/4 cup and test for moisture. If clumps hold  transfer to a work surface and continue adding tablespoons of ice water and stirring.
• Be careful not to overwork your dough as this could not only melt the butter but make a really dense crust.

RECIPE:                                                                               

Yield: 1, 9" pie crust

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 to 1/3 cup ice water

1. Place the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.
2. Using a pastry cutter (or a fork), cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter pieces are the size of peas.
3. Sprinkle ice water, 1 Tbsp at a time, over the flour mixture. Stir and fluff the flour mixture with a fork until shaggy clumps form.
4. Test your dough for its moisture level.
5. Gather the clumps of dough together on a work surface. If the butter feels soft, cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 min before proceeding. If the butter still feels cold, knead the dough gently 4 or 5 times. If the dough falls apart return it to the mixing bowl and sprinkle teaspoons of ice water and mix with a fork until dough holds together when squeezed.
6. Flatten the dough into a disk about 6-inches wide, cover tight in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before rolling out.