Adapted from https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/baking-basics-homemade-buttery-flaky-pie-crust/. I used this on my Blueberry Pie and was pretty satisfied with it, even though I might have overworked the dough. Pie is a skill I’m still working on mastering.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for shaping and rolling
1 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
2/3 cup butter, chilled
1/2 cup ice cold water OR 1/4 cup chilled vodka and 1/4 cup ice water
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk 
decorative sugar crystals (optional) 

Whisk the flour and salt together in a large bowl, then add the butter. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal (pea-sized bits with a few larger bits of fat is OK). Do not overwork the ingredients. 

Drizzle the cold water/vodka in, 1 tablespoon at a time, and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon after every tablespoon has been added. Stop adding water when the dough begins to form large clumps. Do not add any more water than you need.

Transfer the pie dough to a floured work surface. Using floured hands, fold the dough into itself until the flour is fully incorporated into the fats. The dough should come together easily and should not feel overly sticky. Avoid overworking the dough. If it feels a bit too dry or crumbly, dip your fingers in the ice water and then continue bringing dough together with your hands. If it feels too sticky, sprinkle on more flour and then continue bringing dough together with your hands. Form it into a ball. Use a sharp knife to cut it in half. If it’s helpful, you should have about one and a half pounds of dough total. Gently flatten each half into 1-inch-thick discs using your hands.

Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 5 days.

After the dough has chilled for at least 2 hours, you can roll it out. Work with one crust at a time, keeping the other in the refrigerator until you’re ready to roll it out. Lightly flour the work surface, rolling pin, and your hands, and sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough. Use gentle-medium force with your rolling pin on the dough—don’t press down too hard on the dough. Start from the center and work your way out in all directions, turning the dough with your hands as you go.

Between passes of the rolling pin, rotate the pie crust and even flip it, to make sure it’s not sticking to your work surface. Sprinkle on a little more flour if it’s sticking. If you notice the dough becoming a lopsided circle as you’re rolling it out, put down the rolling pin and use your hands to help mold the dough back into an even circle. Roll the dough into a very thin 12-inch circle, which is the perfect size to fit a 9-inch pie dish. Your pie dough will be about 1/8 inch thick, which is quite thin. Visible specks of butter and fat in the dough are perfectly normal and expected.

Because your dough is so thin, use your rolling pin to help transfer the pie crust to the pie dish. Carefully roll one end of the circle of dough gently onto the rolling pin, rolling it back towards you, slowly peeling it off the work surface as you go. Pick it up, and carefully roll it back out over the top of the pie dish.

If your dough requires par-baking: Chill the shaped, unbaked pie crust in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 5 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Cover the pie crust with plastic wrap if chilling for longer than 30 minutes or if you’re freezing it. If you freeze it, let it thaw for a couple hours in the refrigerator before continuing.

While the crust is chilling, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

Line the chilled pie crust with parchment paper. (Crunch up the parchment paper first so that you can easily shape it into the crust.) Fill with pie weights or dried beans. You can push the weights up against the sides of the pie crust to help ensure the sides don’t shrink down.

Bake until the edges of the crust are starting to brown and appear set, about 15–16 minutes. Remove pie from the oven and carefully lift the parchment paper (with the weights) out of the pie. With a fork, prick holes all over the bottom crust. Return the pie crust to the oven.

If you need a fully baked pie crust, bake until the bottom crust is golden brown, about 14–15 minutes longer. For a partially baked pie crust (if you’re baking the pie once it is filled, like a quiche), bake until the bottom crust is just beginning to brown, about 7–8 minutes.

If you’re making a no-bake pie, let the baked crust cool completely before adding the filling unless your pie recipe states otherwise. For pies that will go back in the oven, like quiche or pumpkin pie, the crust can still be warm when you add the filling. (Again, unless your recipe states otherwise.) 

Top Crust:

Use the second half of the refrigerated dough. Roll it out into a 12-inch circle.

For a lattice top, cut 10 1-inch strips, perhaps using a fancy pastry cutter if you have one. Lay the longest pieces in the middle and work your way out to the edges, lifting pieces where necessary to get the lattice look. Each intersection should switch between over and under so you don’t have all one direction on top or vice versa.

Or, cut out shapes with cookie cutters.

Pinch the edges, maybe using any leftover dough to make sure the edges are fully covered if you pre-baked the bottom and it shrank. 

Whisk the egg and milk together, then brush over the surface of the top crust. This will help it achieve a nice golden brown.

If you have fancy sugar crystals, sprinkle them on top.