Description
The one and only TRULY foolproof pie crust recipe. This one secret ingredient makes all the difference in the world. This recipe makes enough for one double crust pie, or two single crust pies.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for the work surface
- 3 tablespoon of sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes and chilled
- 1/2 cup of shortening, cut into 4 pieces and chilled
- 1/4 cup cold vodka
- 1/4 cup cold water
Instructions
- In a food processor, add the flour, the sugar and salt. Pulse a few times to mix together. Now add the butter and shortening and process strait for about 15 seconds. You should see a few large and lots of small clumps of dough. No dry flour should remain.
- Pour the cold vodka and water over the dough and fold/knead it in with a rubber spatula to thoroughly mix it in. It should be somewhat sticky. If it’s really wet, sprinkle on more flour and hand knead it in on a lightly floured surface until the dough is manageable and smooth. You can knead and work this dough till the cows come home and it will never get stiff like regular pie dough. Lay out some plastic wrap, pick up the dough in your hands and mold it into a flat disk about 4″ wide. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least an hour. Pull it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before rolling it out. Can be refrigerated for up to two days, or frozen for about a month.
- After rolling and placing the dough in your pie plate, poke the bottom of the crust a few times with the tines of a fork. Cover the pie plate with plastic wrap and chill the dough again for at least 30 minutes before baking. When ready to bake, line the dough with a layer of aluminum foil and add pie weights or pennies. If you only have beans or rice to use as weights, make sure you fill your pie to the very top with them; they’re not as heavy as standard weights. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with a sheet of aluminum foil, set the pie filled with weights on it, and place on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven. If you only need a ‘partially baked pie crust’ then stop here. If you need it completely baked through, remove the weights, rotate the baking sheet, and continue to bake until the crust is light golden brown, about 5 to 10 minutes more.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: French