How do you make a paste with butter and flour?

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces

¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and butter.

Use your fingers to work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add 2 tablespoons of ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and mix with a fork until the dough just comes together.

Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

When you are ready to use the paste, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8-inch thickness.

Cut the paste into desired shapes and use it to fill pies, tarts, or turnovers.

Tips:

To make sure your pie dough is flaky, handle the dough as little as possible. Mix it until it is just combined.

If you have time, chill your pie dough for longer. This will help it to become even more flaky.

You can also make pie dough in a food processor. To do this, add the flour, salt, and butter to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Then, add the ice water and pulse until the dough just comes together.