How to Make Pie Crust, in Pictures

Measure out the dry ingredients, preferably using a scale. Pictured: 12 1/2 ounces (or two and a half cups) all-purpose flour.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.

Cube the butter. If it softens considerably during the process, don't fret. Simply corral the cubes into a bowl and chill it in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes or until firm.

Cut the cubed butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, rocking the blender back and forth. Alternatively, rub the butter into the flour mixture using your fingertips.

Keep working the butter into the dough until the largest pieces of butter are between the diameter of a dime and a nickel or as pictured.

Add the water and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the dough begins to stick to itself in large clumps.

Knead the shaggy dough a few times (ideally less than 10 times), until it forms a cohesive mass. Shape the dough into a ball.

Cut the dough in half and flatten each half into a rough disk. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour or up to three days. If you're not planning to use the dough in that time frame, simply move the wrapped dough disks into a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag and freeze for use at a later date.

Sprinkle flour on a clean flat surface (either a cutting board or a clean countertop). Place the dough disk on the floured surface and sprinkle both sides with a generous dusting of flour. Dust the rolling pin with flour as well.

Roll out the dough, periodically lifting and turning the dough mass, and adding flour as necessary, to ensure that you're left with a roughly circular shape.

Loosely wrap the rolled-out dough around a rolling pin for easy transport from the countertop to the pie plate.