Ingredients
2
1/2 cups all-purpose flour (not unbleached)
2
sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Special equipment: a pastry or bench scraper
Directions
1.
Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl, then blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle evenly with 9 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in food processor) until incorporated.
2.
Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn\'t hold together, add more ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until just incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork mixture, or pastry will be tough.)
3.
Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together with scraper and press into a ball, then flatten into a 6-inch disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
5.
Dough can be chilled up to 1 day. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes before rolling out.
New-York Restaurants
