Dough by hand. In a mixing bowl, rub the vanilla seeds into the sugar. Whisk in the flour and salt. Add all the butter. Using your hands, coat each piece of butter with the flour mixture. Pinch the pieces of butter to flatten them a bit. Keep working the mixture for a couple of minutes until the mixture resembles coarse sand with most of the clumps of butter the size of peas. Make a well in the middle. Add ¼ cup of ice cold water. Using your hands, scoop the flour from the sides and the bottoms to hydrate the flour with the water. Repeat, making a well in the middle and adding 1 Tbsp. of ice cold water at a time. You know you are done when the dough is slightly clumpy and becomes smooth when flattened in the palm of your hand. Divide the mixture in half, pouring each half onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Push down on the plastic wrap to flatten the dough together into a disc, making it as circular as you can. (If you plan on laminating the dough for a flakier crust, flatten to a rectangle.) Repeat with the remaining portion of dough. Place the wrapped doughs in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Continue with Step 4, below.

Dough by Food Processor. Combine all the vanilla seeds and the sugar in a food processor and pulse several times. Add the flour and salt and pulse several more times. Add all of the frozen butter. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand with most of the clumps of butter the size of peas. Add ¼ cup of ice cold water and pulse a few times to combine. If the mixture is too dry, add more of the ice cold water 1 Tbsp. at a time. You know you are done when the dough is slightly clumpy and when flattened in your palm it is smooth. Divide the mixture in half, pouring each onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Push down on the plastic wrap to flatten the dough together into a disc, making it as circular as you can. (If you plan on laminating the dough for a flakier crust, flatten to a rectangle.) Repeat with the remaining portion of dough. Place the wrapped doughs in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Continue with Step 4, below.

Dough by Mixer. In the mixing bowl of an electric mixer, rub the vanilla seeds into the sugar. Add the flour and salt and mix on low with the paddle attachment until fully combined. Add the refrigerator cold butter and mix until the mixture resembles coarse sand with most of the clumps of butter the size of peas. With the mixer on low, slowly add ¼ cup of ice cold water. If the mixture is too dry, add 1 Tbsp. of ice cold water at a time. You know you are done when the dough is slightly clumpy and when flattened in your palm it is smooth. Divide the mixture in half, pouring each onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Push down on the plastic wrap to flatten the dough together into a disc, making it as circular as you can. (If you plan on laminating the dough for a flakier crust, flatten to a rectangle.) Repeat with the remaining portion of dough. Place the wrapped doughs in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Continue with Step 4, below.

Remove the larger piece of dough from the refrigerator and lightly flour the countertop. Also lightly flour a rolling pin. Place the dough on the lightly floured countertop. Lightly flour the top of the dough.

Optional: To make a super flaky dough, roll the dough into a long rectangle. Fold the top ⅓ down from the top, then fold the bottom ⅓ up towards the middle, like folding a letter, brushing off any excess flour as you fold. Rotate the dough 90° and roll out into a rectangle again. Repeat the folds one more time. Wrap again in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Roll the dough out so that it is a circle (or circle-ish), approximately 12 inches in diameter. The dough should be rolled out enough to go up the sides of the pie plate with at least a couple inches overhanging. (If the dough cracks when you first start rolling, let it sit on the counter for a couple minutes. It just means the dough is too cold.)

To transport the pie dough into the pie plate, gently fold the dough in half, and again into quarters, being careful not to press down. Lift the dough up and place the pointed corner into the center of the pie plate. Unfold the dough. (Alternatively, roll the dough onto the rolling pin and unroll it over the pie plate.) Press the dough into the pie plate to make sure there are no air pockets. If the dough overhangs by more than a couple of inches, use scissors to trim it. Use the trimmings to fill in any shorter spots. Place the pie plate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.