Flaky Vodka Pie Crust
Your pie crusts have never been this flaky.
Makes2 (20-ounce) crusts
Prep20 minutes
Pie crust from scratch can feel intimidating and time-consuming without a guarantee of success, yet one ingredient can deliver on a crispier, flakier finished crust overtime: vodka. Adding alcohol, in combination with fat and water, to doughs and crusts has proven to be a boon for crispness and flakiness in everything from fried chicken to beer-battered fish. Don’t worry — all the booze will bake off and you’ll be left with only the benefits of using vodka in your pie crust: a guaranteed tender and flaky finished pie.
Why You’ll Love It
- It’s both tender and flaky. Because alcohol evaporates quickly, it helps to set the crust, making it both tender and flaky in the finished crust.
- The all-butter crust is big on flavor. There are a few camps when it comes to which fat is best for pie dough, with some standing behind, lard, shortening, and even a combination of either in partnership with butter. An all-butter crust is high on flavor, but gets a bad rap for being hard to work with — but if you keep the butter cold, it’s actually easier to work with than other fats.
What Is Vodka Pie Crust?
Vodka pie crust is simply any pie crust recipe that uses vodka (or any spirit, like bourbon or rum) in place of some or all of the liquid. Cook’s Illustrated popularized the method about 10 years ago, suggesting that the alcohol helped inhibit gluten formation and prevented a chewy crust.
After testing both pie doughs and tempura batters behind the scene for episodes of Good Eats, I learned that vodka’s benefit isn’t about gluten but rather about moisture. Here, we hack our favorite all-butter pie crust with half icy-cold water and half vodka to make a crust that’s easier to roll out (thanks, butter!) and even better out of the oven.
Key Ingredients in Vodka Pie Crust
- Flour: You’ll need 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling.
- Butter: Cut 2 sticks of cold unsalted butter into 16 pieces.
- Vodka: Chill the vodka in the fridge or freezer for the best results.
How to Make Vodka Pie Crust
- Use a food processor to work the butter into the flour, quickly. Only use the food processor in quick pulses for pie crust; don’t let it run continuously or the heat from the movement will cause the butter to melt.
- Chill the dough before rolling. If you try to roll out the dough when it’s straight from the mixer, it’s going to fall apart on you. The main reason is that the flour hasn’t had time to absorb all of the liquid or much of the fat. Divide the dough into 2 disks and chill for 1 hour.
- Chill the dough before baking. Chilling the dough after rolling and pressing it into the pie pan helps prevent shrinking and contributes to a crispier crust.
Filling and Baking Vodka Pie Crust
The next steps for your pie dough will depend entirely on the pie you plan to make. If your filling cooks at the same rate as your pie — as with apple pie — go ahead and fill, top it, and bake straightaway. For most single crust pies, you’ll want to blind bake the crust before baking. This partial bake sets the crust and gives it a head start so it will be ready when the filling is too.
Make-Ahead Tips
The disks of dough can be made up to 4 days ahead and refrigerated. The wrapped dough can also be placed in a freezer bag and frozen for up to 3 months; thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.
Ways to Use Vodka Pie Crust
Flaky Vodka Pie Crust Recipe
Your pie crusts have never been this flaky.
Prep time 20 minutes
Makes 2 (20-ounce) crusts
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups
all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 tablespoon
granulated sugar (optional)
- 1 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 2 sticks
(8 ounce) cold unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces
- 1/4 cup
cold vodka, plus more as needed
- 1/4 cup
ice water, plus more as needed
Instructions
Pulse 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar if using, and 1 teaspoon kosher salt together in a food processor once or twice to combine.
Scatter 2 sticks cold unsalted butter pieces evenly over the flour. Pulse until the flour is crumbly and the butter is cut into pieces no bigger than a pea, about 10 (1-second) pulses.
Drizzle 1/4 cup cold vodka over the butter and flour mixture. Pulse until combined, about 2 (1-second) pulses. Drizzle 1/4 cup ice water over everything. Pulse until combined, 4 to 6 (1-second) pulses.
Pick up a few tablespoons of the dough in your palm and squeeze. If the dough holds together easily, you've got enough liquid. If it is still crumbly, add a tablespoon of water or vodka (dealer's choice) and pulse again. Test again and pulse in more liquid if needed.
Transfer the mixture onto a work surface and knead a few times to bring the dough together into one portion. Divide the dough into 2 portions (about 20 ounces each). Shape each portion into a 5-inch wide disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Lightly flour a work surface. Unwrap one disk of the dough and place on the surface. Use a rolling pin to pound the dough to about half its thickness. Roll the dough out into a 12 or 13-inch round (13 if lining a deep-dish pie plate).
Lay the rolling pin on one edge of the pie crust and begin gently rolling the pie crust over the rolling pin. When it's all rolled up, move it to the pie plate and gently unroll. Ease the crust into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
For a single crust pie, trim all but an inch of the dough from around the edges. Roll the edges under itself and crimp if desired. For a double crust pie, do not trim the excess dough yet.
Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before baking the single crust pie or filling the double crust pie with the filling and topping with the second rolled-out dough.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: The disks of dough can be made up to 4 days ahead and refrigerated. The wrapped dough can also be placed in a freezer bag and frozen for up to 3 months; thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.