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Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl (or pulse in a food processor). Blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse) until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size lumps of butter. Add 3 Tbsp water and stir into flour (or pulse) until incorporated.
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Gently squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn’t hold together, add water, 1/2 Tbsp at a time, stirring (or pulsing) after each addition. Do not overwork dough or pastry will be tough.
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Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 30 minutes.
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Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
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Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round. Fit dough into tart pan and fold overhang inward to reinforce side. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
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Lightly prick bottom of shell all over with a fork, then line with parchment or foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until edge is pale golden and side is set, 20 to 25 minutes.
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Carefully remove weights and parchment and bake shell until golden, 10 to 15 minutes more.
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Remove tart shell from oven and reduce temperature to 300°F.