Basic Pastry Dough

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons ice water

Directions

• 1.

  In a food processor, pulse flour and salt to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle with ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 3 tablespoons more water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Do not overmix. Form dough into a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour (or up to 3 days).