Flaky Tart Shell Recipe - Food & Drink Recipes

Make the dough:
In a stainless-steel mixing bowl, toss together the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut the cold butter into 14-inch cubes and add it to the sugar and flour mixture. Using two knives or a pastry cutter, chop and toss the butter until pea-sized and coated with flour. Add 4 to 5 tablespoons of ice water and toss the mixture lightly with a fork. The dough will not come together at this point. It should still seem dry with a few moist clumps.
Empty the contents of the bowl onto a counter and, using the heel of your hand, smear the butter with the dry ingredients to marble the butter into the dough (this technique produces a very flaky, light crust). You might need to repeat this smearing and scraping process one or two times before the dough comes together. Once the dough is moist enough to form a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and press down to form a flattened disk of dough. Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours or up to 2 days.
Roll out the dough (see “Rolling tart dough” in Notes, below):
On a cool, dry counter surface, roll the dough into a 14-inch circle, 1/16 inch thick. Line the tart pan with the dough and freeze while you prepare the filling.