Ingredients (4)

  • 5 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 pound cold butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup ice water

This dough works beautifully for Chef Donald Link’s Natchitoches Meat Pies, but it could be filled with almost any combination of meats or vegetables.

Instructions

  1. Place the flour and salt in a large bowl and, using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse pebbles. Using a fork, stir in the water until the dough pulls together, adding additional ice water by the teaspoonful if necessary. Use your hands to knead the dough for a few minutes until it’s smooth and evenly blended.
  2. Roll the dough into a rectangle and fold it over itself three times like a letter. Repeat this process four times, reshape the dough to a rectangle, and refrigerate until firm, at least 15 minutes.