Hi PJ, I just happened upon your post and had to comment! My late mother made pie crusts by hand. I tried this for several years with inconsistent results and a lot of cursing. I tried using the KAF pastry flour. I tried using the Cook's Illustrated recipe with vodka. I got The Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Berenbaum from the library. I studied it, took notes and tried those recipes (with the food processor, which goes too fast, IMO). My biggest problem was getting the dough to come together cohesively and then cracking as I was rolling it. It was very frustrating. Finally I realized that my biggest problem was not enough gluten!! Very few guides mention this as a problem. Most talk about avoiding producing too much gluten so that you don't end up with a tough crust. I remembered that I had made some pie dough with my stand mixer in the past and it wasn't bad. I have the same brand that you have - the flat beater is key, I think. I now cut the butter (half of it at a time) into all purpose flour by hand using a pastry blender, then finish the dough in the mixer with cold water. I watch it carefully and turn it off as soon as it starts looking cohesive. It works every time, like a dream. The crusts are tender and flaky. I always got a lot of compliments on my pie crust - especially from people who don't make their own pie crust ;-), but now I can accept them with ease, knowing that it was a pleasure to make. And yes, I remember S & H Green Stamps!

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