THE DOUGH

Every good baker needs a reliable pastry dough in their back pocket, and this all-butter version is about as straightforward as it gets. Cold butter is rubbed into flour by hand until it breaks down into small flecks, which is exactly what you want.

Those bits of butter are the secret to flakiness. As the dough bakes, they melt and release steam, prying the layers apart into crisp, tender leaves.

Add the water sparingly, just enough to bring the dough together. Overworking it or adding too much liquid develops gluten and leaves you with a tough, leathery crust instead of a tender one.

A wrap and an hour in the fridge does double duty: it relaxes the gluten so the dough won’t shrink when baked, and firms the butter so it rolls out cleanly. It’s a versatile base for tarts, pies, and galettes.

Pro Tips

• Keep everything cold. Cold butter and cold hands mean the butter stays in distinct pieces rather than melting into the flour, which is what gives you flake.
• Stop mixing the moment the dough holds together. The less you handle it, the more tender the crust.
• Weigh the flour with a scale rather than scooping with a cup. Ounces measure weight, cups measure volume, and the difference can throw off the whole dough.
• Always chill before rolling. Warm dough tears, sticks, and shrinks in the oven.

Variations

• Skip the sugar for a savory dough destined for quiches and pot pies.
• Swap a couple tablespoons of the butter for cream cheese for an extra-tender, easy-to-roll crust.