Lunch: Pastry Dough

Recipe by Lillian Chou This supple homemade dough rolls beautifully into a solid base and laces into a pretty lattice top.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 to 9 tablespoons ice water

Instructions

Blend together flour, butter, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.
Drizzle 5 to 6 tablespoon ice water evenly over mixture. Gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated. Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn't hold together, add more water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated. Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.
Turn out onto a work 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 a pastry scraper if you have one. Press into a ball, then flatten into 2 (5-inch) disks and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

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