Pie Crust

  • 345 grams whole grain spelt flour, plus extra for rolling
  • 1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 6 Tbsp cold water
Whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar.  Using a pastry cutter, thoroughly cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse sand.  Add the water a couple tablespoons at a time, thoroughly mixing in each addition with the pastry cutter.
At this point, the dough can be stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it, covering well with plastic wrap.
When you’re ready to use the dough, cover your counter or board with flour and coat your rolling pin.  For pasties, pull out about a tennis ball sized amount of dough and form it into an even ball.  Smoosh the ball once on the counter with your hands, then flip it over and do it again. Start rolling it out with the rolling pin, flipping and rotating it after every roll, until you get a large, smooth surface. Add a little more flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking to the counter.
The dough should hold together well enough to pick up and transfer to a dish, or to fold over and seal.  If it doesn’t, make sure your initial dough ball is well squished without cracks before starting to flatten it.  For pasties, place your filling in the middle of the dough circle, then fold the circle over and roll and pinch the edge to seal.  For pies, place the crust into a pie pan, smoothing out any air bubbles.  Use a knife to neatly trim around the edge.
To prebake the crust, cover the crust with parchment paper, fill the parchment with dried beans, and bake at 350F for about 20 minutes.  Remove the beans, prick the crust a few times, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.  Allow to cool before filling.

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