Mix flour, salt, and sugar (if desired) together in a bowl.

Blend in oil, the ice water, mixing with a fork until it forms a ball.. If pastry is to crumbly, you may want to add 1 beaten egg.

I (LEAH) definitely needed the egg.

Divide dough into 2 equal portions, and form each onto a ball.

Roll dough out onto lightly floured surface

Note: Lard, butter or shortening may be used in place of the oil, but this makes the dough harder to work with. Decrease flour to 2 cups if you use a solid rather than a liquid fat.

Note: Whole wheat pastry is more difficult to work with, so you may want to master other pastry recipes before working with this one.