Makes about 2 3/4 lbs dough, making a 36- by 12-inch rectangle 1/4" thick.
To measure flours, scoop dry measure cups into a container and sweep off excess with the flat edge of a knife. Rapidly cut the butter into big dice; toss butter and flour together on your work surface. Mixing it rapidly with the flour, flatten the chilled butter into lima-bean size. Do it by hand or in an electric mixer with a flat beater. (A food processor cuts butter too small.) If butter has softened, chill everything 20 minutes. Blend in 3/4 cup of iced water, lifting and turning, adding droplets more until mixture holds together. A mess! Push, pat and roll dough into a rough rectangle; flour the top lightly as necessary. If it breaks too much, sprinkle on drops of water. It will look quite awful. When the rectangle is 18" long, flip one end over onto the middle, then the other end, like folding a letter, making 3 layers. Scrape and flour work surface. Turn dough so top flap opens on your right. Push, pat and roll it again into a rectangle. Clean rolling pin and flour it lightly; if dough softens, refrigerate at once. Again fold the dough into 3; use a pastry sheet to help. Again roll it out into a rectangle. To prevent it from sticking, keep dough floured, work surface clean. These rolls and folding into 3 layers are known as "turns" -- you now have made 3 turns. Make the fourth turn, shoring up the edges with side of rolling pin. By this time, you have a real dough. Wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes at least-- to relax it. Complete the fifth and sixth turns and it is ready to roll out and form.
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