Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) hot water
• 2 tablespoons (30g) granulated sugar or dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon good tasting vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
• 2 2/3 cups (330g) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 sticks (225g) very cold unsalted butter, cut into 3/4-inch chunks

Directions

1. Combine the hot water, sugar, vinegar, salt in a measuring cup or jar. Stir until the sugar dissolves and chill in the freezer until very cold - 10-15 minutes or so.
2. Combine the flour and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment. Cover the mixer with a clean kitchen towel to keep flour in the bowl, and mix on low speed until the butter and flour smears and combines into an uneven, shaggy and pebble-like texture - 20 seconds or so.
3. Remove the towel, and, continuing on low speed, very slowly drizzle in about half of the sugar-water mixture. Continue mixing just until the dough comes together adding more water, a bit at a time, if needed. The dough comes together quickly, in ten or twenty seconds or so, and you may not need to use all the water. I typically use about half the water and have about 1/4 cup leftover.
4. Working quickly, turn the dough out onto a counter and use floured hands to press together into one large mound. Divide the dough in half with a bench scraper or knife and shape each half into a 1-inch thick disc. Wrap each half tightly in plastic and refrigerate for two hours before using. You can also freeze the dough at this point for later use.
5. When ready to shape the dough, lightly flour the your counter, rolling pin, and your hands. If at any point in the process the dough is sticking, dust with more flour. If you’re new to pie-making, you might want to roll out the pie dough on a large piece of lightly floured parchment paper. This allows you to easily transfer the dough to the refrigerator if you need to chill it a bit mid-roll. Chill for 7-10 minutes and proceed. Start from the center of the dough and roll out in all directions, turning the dough regularly as you go. Roll the dough so it is evenly thick throughout, and an inch or two larger than your pie dish. I’ve found that if you start having cracks and fissures at the edges of your pie dough you can often use the rolling pin around the perimeter (like you were going around a roller skating rink) and that closes the gaps nicely. It might also help to let it warm up for another couple of minutes in case the dough is a bit too cold for rolling.
6. Transfer the dough to a pie dish by gently wrapping it around your rolling pin and unrolling it over the pie dish. Coax the pie dough into place, and then press gently into the baking dish.
7. For a single-crusted pie, use a pair of scissors or a sharp paring knife to trim the dough so it overhangs by just a bit. For a double-crusted pie, fill it at this stage, and then drape the second pie crust over the top. Trim the top crust at this point. Pinch and seal the top crust to the bottom crust and then fold either over or under. I tend to like under.
8. Crump the edge of the pie with a fork, or flute the edge using the thumb and forefinger of one hand, and the forefinger of the other. Freeze for 15 minutes before baking.
9. For a double crusted pie, cut a few slashes into the top to allow steam to escape brush lightly with a beaten egg just before the pie goes in the oven.