Pie Crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose bleached flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon
baking powder
1/8 teaspoon
salt
4 tablespoons
(1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter
1 large egg
To mix the dough by hand, combine flour, sugar, salt
and baking powder in a medium mixing bowl and stir well to mix. Cut butter into
1-tablespoon pieces and add to dry ingredients. Toss once or twice to coat
pieces of butter. Then using your hands or a pastry blender, break the butter
into tiny pieces and pinch and squeeze it into the dry ingredients.
Occasionally reach down to the bottom of the bowl and mix all the ingredients
evenly together. Continue rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients until the
mixture resembles a coarse-ground cornmeal and no large pieces of butter remain
visible. Beat the egg(s) in a small bowl and pour over the flour and butter
mixture. Stir in with a fork until the dough begins to hold together, but still
appears somewhat dry. Scatter a teaspoon of flour on the work surface and
scrape the dough out onto it. Press and knead the dough quickly 3 or 4 times,
until it is smooth and uniform.
Roll crust to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.