THE ONLY PIECRUST EVER NEED YOU'LL

We’ve cracked the code on the most foolproof, fearproof dough

- ALANA AL-HATLANI,GREG DUPREE,EMILY NABORS HALL,JULIA BAYLESS

RECIPES AND TEXT BY ALANA AL-HATLANI PHOTOGRAPHS BY GREG DUPREE FOOD STYLING BY EMILY NABORS HALL PROP STYLING BY JULIA BAYLESS

I love eating pie, but baking one was never my strong suit—I’d rather tackle a layer cake any day. Pie dough has brought me to tears more than once, and not in a good way. I’ve splurged on fancy butter, only for the crust to taste like a cracker and crumble like one too. I’ve painstakingly crimped the edges to find that every careful pinch dissolved in the oven into a lumpy, uneven band. I finally mastered the technique the most expensive way possible: pastry school. During the first class, I learned to make pâte brisée, a French short-crust dough, which yielded the most crisp, flaky, and buttery results. No other kind I have tried since has come close. And no amount of apple cider vinegar, vodka, or other touted baking hacks have either.

That holy grail recipe is a little fussy, though, and I’m a little lazy. So over the years, I’ve simplified it. I was taught to use milk, not water, but truthfully both work—and one is free. The original formula called for an egg, which I now skip for a more tender result. In school, I was told to always incorporate the butter by hand, but I prefer to let my food processor do the hard part. All of this makes an easy pie dough that’s rich and sturdy enough to withstand any filling you can dream up.

Occasionally, I’ll still get anxious when I’m baking a pie—between tearing and slumping, a lot can go wrong—but I’ve also learned to trust this recipe, because as the name suggests, it’s pretty damn near perfect.

Damn-Near-Perfect Pie Dough

ACTIVE 30 MIN. - TOTAL 2 HOURS - MAKES 2 (9-INCH) PIECRUSTS

2½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface

1 Tbsp. granulated sugar