This recipe is really a classic "pâte brisée" : 3 cups all-purpose flour; 1 cup (2 sticks) sweet butter, cold, and cut with a knife/grater into thin slices or shavings; 1/2 teaspoon salt; and approximately 1/2~3/4 cup very cold water. There are several ways to improve it, the most dramatic being to use (or make up your own) "pastry flour" : 3/4 Cup AllPurpose Flour + 1/2 Cup Cake Flour; ie., Blend by sifting the (much lower gluten) Cake Flour with the standard flour to make real "pastry flour". What makes the recipe a derivation of "pâte brisée" is that it uses all butter ~ of course, by doing so it is quite rich {grin} FYI, pie dough is even more flaky when some shortening is used in place of unsalted butter; ie., try the Alton Brown mixture of 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) butter, chilled PLUS 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) lard = shortening, chilled, with the 1-1/4 Cups of "pastry flour"... Butter adds "richness", while Shortening amplifies "flakiness". for what it's worth, I use 1/2t salt + 1T sugar in this recipe, with 1/4t (plain, white wine or apple cider) vinegar added to the ice water. There is surprisingly little difference when the shortening, and then the butter is cut into the pastry flour with the plastic blade of yoru food processor, or when done by hand, in my experience. However, there is a BIG difference apparent depending upon how you add the ice water! Even if you use your food processor to pulse-cut the fats into the flour, turn it out and add the water manually ~ pr
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