Basic Shortcrust Pastry

Using your fingers, combine Cake Flour (1 cup) and Butter (4 oz) in a large mixing bowl. Mix until a shaggy dough forms.

Add Water (3 Tbsp) and Salt (1/2 tsp). On a floured work surface, nead the dough until smooth.

Press the dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest in the fridge for 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).

Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to around 9-inch diameter and ⅛-inch thick. Roll the dough around the rolling pin to transport it to the pie pan.

Drape the rolled dough over the rolling pin and press into a 8-inch pie pan with a removable bottom. Press dough until evenly covered. Be sure to leave at least 2 inches of dough around the edges, as the crust will shrink as it bakes. Poke all along the bottom of the crust with a fork

Lay parchment paper along the inside of the pan and evenly distribute pie weights along the inside. If you don’t have pie weights you can also use dry beans or coins.

Bake for 15 minutes until the edges start to turn golden brown. If you are preparing the crust for a no bake pie, remove the weights and continue to cook another 10-15 minutes until the whole pie is golden brown.

When the crust is cooked, trim the excess off the edges. Use as desired!