How to... Make Pie Crust

Pate Brisee: 
(Basic Pie Crust Recipe)

Makes enough for 2 - 9" Single-crusts, 1-Double Crust, or a Lattice-Crust Pie 

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt

2 1/4 sticks (18 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces

4 to 6 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed

Directions:

1. Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube until dough just holds together (no longer than 30 seconds).
2. Divide dough in half, and shape into disks. Wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days). 

Trick for a Crisp Crust:

For foolproof crusts, top and bottom, position your pie on the lowest rack of the oven because most ovens tend to concentrate heat at the bottom.  As the heat rises, it will crisp the bottom crust before cooking the exposed top crust.  Also, us a transparent pie plate like one from Pyrex.  It will only take a quick peek to tell when the underside is golden and not pale or doughy.

Seven Rules for Pie Crusts:

By following these seven simple rules, you can produce a flaky, tender crust every time.
1. When making the dough, make sure the butter is very cold.
2. Handle the dough as little as possible. Both the stretching of the dough and the warmth from your hands will further the development of gluten -- long, stringy protein molecules that form when flour is blended with liquid -- resulting in a tough dough that's difficult to roll out.
3. Since our pie-dough recipe yields two single crusts, divide the dough in half, and pat each half into a flat disk before wrapping it in plastic and chilling. This will make it easier to roll out each crust into a perfect circle.
4. Chill the dough thoroughly (at least 30 minutes) before rolling it out, and use a minimum of flour to dust the rolling pin and work surface. Brush excess flour from the rolled dough with a dry pastry brush before transferring it to the pie plate.
5. For an extra-crispy pie crust with a golden color, brush the unbaked top crust with water, and sprinkle it with sugar.
6. For a shiny pie crust, brush the unbaked top crust with an egg wash made from one egg and 2 tablespoons cream.
7. Cut decorative vents in the top of a double-crusted fruit pie; vents allow steam to escape and prevent the fruit juices from overflowing.

Lots of images in this post.  If it becomes difficult to see, let me know.