Ingredients
Makes two 9-inch pie crusts
1 cup butter
1 tbsp dark brown sugar (omit for a savory pie)
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or AP flour)
1 tsp salt
5-6 tbsp ice water
Method
Cut the sticks of butter into 1/2-inch cubes and place in the freezer for 15 minutes to an hour (the longer the better) so that they become thoroughly chilled.
Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor & pulse to mix. Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, add a little more water and pulse again.
Remove dough from machine and place in a mound on a clean surface. Gently shape into 2 discs. Knead the dough just enough to form the discs, do not over-knead. You should be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These small chunks of butter are what will allow the resulting crust to be flaky. Sprinkle a little flour around the discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, or upto 2 days.
Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator; keep the plastic wrap on. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick.
The plastic wrap makes rolling it out easier; but you can try the traditional way of rolling it on a flour-dusted surface if you are comfortable with that. Carefully place onto a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim the excess dough, or use your fingers o pinch the edges as shown in the picture.
Pre-Baking the Crust
Most of the dessert pie recipes require pre-baking the crust a little before adding the filling. Preheat your oven to 350°F, and refrigerate the crust for at least 20-30 mins. When the pie crust is sufficiently chilled, line the pie crust with parchment paper, wax paper, or aluminum foil. Fill at least two-thirds full with pie weights - dry beans, rice, or stainless-steel pie weights. Bake with weights for 15 minutes. Now remove from oven, remove the weights, prick the bottom with a fork and return to oven for an another 10 minutes, until the crust is golden. Let it cool completely on a wire-rack and then you can move on to adding the filling, be it fruits or anything else.
Tip: Whip an egg white and brush the bottom of the crust with this mixture before baking. This prevents the crust from becoming soggy, and keeps it crispier!
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