Pastry Crust

1. Mix the flour and the salt.
2. Cut the butter into small pieces. The smaller the pieces you cut it into, the easier the next step will be.
3. Cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender. Keep doing this until the butter is the size of small peas.
4. Seperately, mix the egg and the vinegar.
5. Mix the egg mixture into the flour mixture with a fork.
6. Add 1/4 cup (60 mL) cold water to the mixture and mix it in. Keep adding cold water in units of 1 Tbsp (15 mL) and mixing them in until the dough holds together when squeezed.
7. Cut the dough in half. Do not tear it.
8. Spread out a circle of white flour on the counter. Put half the dough in the cricle of flour and sprinkle a little more white flour on top.
9. Roll out the dough into a circle with a rolling pin, rolling in every direction.
   • It is important to use cold water. Otherwise it will melt the butter and make the crust sticky.
   • If the dough crumbles, add a bit of cold water.
   • If the dough sticks to the rolling pin, sprinkle a bit more white flour on top.
   • If the dough sticks to the counter, pick it up and sprinkle a bit more white flour on the counter underneath.
   • Periodically pick up the dough and move it. This will make it stick less.
   Measure the pie crust against the pie plate. When the crust is about 1 inch (2-3 cm) larger than the pie plate, you are done rolling it.
10. Fold the pie crust into quarters, move it into the pie plate, and unfold it. You do not have to grease the pie plate.
    If the edges are uneven, you can cut off the longer parts and use them to patch the shorter parts. Stick them together with cold water.

    For an open pie (one without a crust on top):

    Fold the edges of the crust so they are under the main part so that it is the same size as the pan. Press the edges down with a fork or crimp them so that they stick together. It also makes the edge look nice.

    For a 2-crust pie:

    1. Put the filling for the pie into the bottom crust.
    2. Make the second crust slightly smaller than the first. It will just lie flat, so it doesn't need to be as big.
    3. Fold the second crust into quarters. Cut a design onto it if you want one.
    4. Unfold the second crust on top of the filling.
    5. Fold the the edges of the two crusts together and pinch them together.
    6. Press down the combined edges with a fork or crimp them so that they stick together.

11. Bake according to the filling recipe. Always preheat the oven.