pie crust therapy

Making pie crust should be marketed as therapy.  Every time I go to make my pie crust I get lost in the process of cutting the butter into the flour mixture and slowly adding ice water until it starts to come together.  The kneading and molding. It's wonderfully relaxing and takes me to a place where everything else going on in the house vanishes and it's just me and my dough.  Today I was dreading making more pie crust to use the last of my Bella nut filling for a few more trials.  The minute I started dipping the flour and grating the butter I was transported to my happy place.  

cheap therapy

I know everyone has their own tricks for the perfect pie crust.  I'm not saying my crust is better in any shape or form.  I'm just going to tell you my secrets for MY favorite pie crust.

Secret #1: Use frozen butter and grate it with a large cheese grater into your flour mixture.  It makes cutting the butter in a piece of cake.  Your triceps will burn during the grating process but that's just part of that lovely pie crust therapy.

lovely grated butter hill-I try to see how tall I can get it!

Secret #2: Work fast.  It's key to go as fast as you can because you don't want the butter to melt.  When forming the dough after the ice water has been added; move quickly.  Don't over work the dough with your warm hands.  You want minuscule pockets of butter in your dough for a wonderfully flaky crust.  Put the dough in the refrigerator to cool and harden for 30 minutes before you roll it out.