In the bowl of a food processor, place flour and salt; pulse to mix. Add very cold or frozen cubes of butter. Pulse repeatedly in short bursts until the mixture resembles coarse meal; some larger chunks can remain, but it is important not to over-process.

Add lemon juice or citric acid to the water.

While the motor is running, pour half of the ice water in through the top feed tube in a thin stream.

Turn off motor and allow mixture to sit for a minute or two. Add half of the remaining water as you did before, and process only until mixture forms a ball. At this point, if mixture is crumbly, add remaining water; if dough seems to be too soft to handle, add a tablespoon (more or less) of flour and process for another 30 seconds.

Divide into two portions (for the top and bottom crusts of a 9-inch pie pan).

Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator if you want a dough that is easier to roll out, but this dough can also be rolled out right away.

When ready, roll out the dough until very thin and into a circle about 1 inch larger than a nine inch pie pan fitted upside down over the rolled out dough (for measuring). Dust the work surface lightly with flour, but don't use too much. A silicone sheet makes lifting the crust onto the pie pan a simple matter, but a large spatula will work, too. Fold the rolled dough gently into quarters or roll it up lightly and fit loosely into the pan. If you fit the dough into the pan too tightly, it will shrink and crack while baking.

If you have a pie recipe which contains a large amount of liquid in the filling (such as blueberry pie) then you can pre-bake the bottom for 10 minutes or so in a preheated 375-400°F oven to prevent it from becoming soggy. You can put about 2 cups of dry beans in the crust to keep it from puffing up. (The beans can be saved and reused again in the next pie!)

Add the desired filling (be sure to slightly over-fill because most fillings will cook down). Fit the top over the pie, flute or decorate the edges while pressing them together to make a tight seal. Make steam hole vents in the top and center so that the crust doesn't crack while baking. Brush the top with a mixture of 1 egg white or yolk and a tablespoon of water (beaten well) if you like a glazed look. Or use milk or cream. If it's a dessert pie, you can also sprinkle a bit of coarse sugar over the top.

Most pies bake at about 375°F to 425°F on the middle rack of the oven, but follow your recipe. If the crust edges begin to brown before the rest of the pie, you can cover them with aluminum foil or a specially made pie crust shield, and turn the oven down to 300-350°F for the remainder of the cooking time.

Makes pastry for one 9-inch double crust pie or 4 large or 8 small turnovers.

Submitted by: CM