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1
Pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor (or whisk together by hand in a bowl).
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2
Add butter, and pulse (or quickly cut in with a pastry blender or your fingertips) until mixture resembles coarse meal, with some larger pieces remaining.
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3
Drizzle 1/4 cup water over mixture.
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4
Pulse (or mix with a fork) until mixture just begins to hold together.
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5
If dough is too dry, add 1/4 cup more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse (or mix with a fork).
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6
Divide dough in half onto two pieces of plastic wrap.
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7
Gather into two balls, wrap loosely in plastic, and press each into a disk using a rolling pin.
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8
Refrigerate until firm, well wrapped in plastic, 1 hour or up to 1 day.
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9
(Dough can be frozen up to 3 months; thaw in refrigerator before using.)
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10
Replace 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter with 1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces.
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11
Replace 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter with 1/2 cup cold lard.
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12
For the best quality, its worth seeking out leaf lard.
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13
You can buy rendered leaf lard from online vendors, or from artisanal butcher shops.
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14
Replace 1/2 cup flour with 1/2 cup coarse cornmeal.
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15
Reduce butter to 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) and add 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar to the flour mixture along with the butter.
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16
Increase sugar to 1 tablespoon.
