Flaky Pie Dough

Directions

1. 1
   To mix the dough by hand, combine flour, salt and baking powder in a medium-sized mixing bowl and stir well to mix.
2. 2
   Cut butter into 1-tablespoon pieces and add to dry ingredients.
3. 3
   Toss once or twice to coat pieces of butter.
4. 4
   Then using your hands or a pastry blender, break the butter into tiny pieces and pinch and squeeze it into the dry ingredients.
5. 5
   Keep the mixture uniform by occasionally reaching down to the bottom of the bowl and mixing all the ingredients evenly together.
6. 6
   Continue rubbing the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse-ground cornmeal and no large pieces of butter remain visible.
7. 7
   Sprinkle the minimum amount of water over the butter and flour mixture and stir gently with a fork -- the dough should begin holding together.
8. 8
   If the mixture still appears dry and crumbly, add the remaining water, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together easily.
9. 9
   To mix the dough in the food processor, combine flour, salt and baking powder in work bowl fitted with metal blade.
10. 10
    Pulse 3 times at 1-second intervals to mix.
11. 11
    Cut butter into 1-tablespoon pieces and add to work bowl.
12. 12
    Process, pulsing repeatedly at 1-second intervals, until the mixture is fine and powdery, resembles a coarse-ground cornmeal and no large pieces of butter remain visible -- about 15 pulses in all.
13. 13
    Scatter the minimum amount of water on the butter and flour mixture and pulse 5 or 6 times -- the dough should begin holding together.
14. 14
    If the mixture still appears dry and crumbly, add the remaining water, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together easily.
15. 15
    Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a disk.
16. 16
    Wrap and refrigerate the dough until firm, or until you are ready to use it, at least 1 hour, or up to several days