Measure the pastry ingredients, for accuracy. Kitchen scales are recommended, if possible. Too much flour will make the pastry dry, where too much butter or water will make the dough crumbly and fall apart.
Store the butter in the freezer before adding it the flour, to keep it as cold as possible.
Keep the pastry cold at all times! Keeping the pie crust as cold as possible helps to prevent the butter from melting before the pie enters the hot oven. If the butter melts in the dough before baking, it won’t create those lovely, flaky layers. The colder the ingredients, the easier the dough is to work with and the better it will turn out.
Keep the pastry in the fridge at all times, until ready to bake. It can be added to the tin and rested in the fridge while you prepare the filling.
Don’t add too much water to the pastry. Add just enough to make the dough come together and don’t knead it. A brief squish to press it all together is all that is required. Too much water or movement develops gluten, which will make the pastry hard.
I use a 23cm loose-bottom (springform) tin for easy removal of the pie. But any pie dish will work. Just make sure it is high enough to hold the pastry and filling.
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