Perfect Vodka Pie Crust Recipe

Making a tender, flaky pie crust from scratch is easy when you use the right secret ingredient.

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by Tim Nauman
The best pie crusts are buttery, tender and flaky — all possible by learning just a few simple tricks.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole-wheat, whole-wheat pastry or unbleached all-purpose flour*, or a mixture, plus extra for rolling 
  • 1 tsp kosher salt 
  • 6 ounces lard or unsalted high-fat butter, cut into small pieces, chilled
  • 1 tbsp vodka (or substitute apple cider vinegar)
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water, as needed 

Directions

  • Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or clean hands, begin to “cut in” or rub the bits of fat into the flour. Eventually you’ll have a mixture that looks like coarse sand or cornmeal. It’s OK to have some slightly larger pieces of butter, but there shouldn’t be many larger than a pea.
  • Sprinkle the vodka and half of the water over the mixture. Using your hands, form the dough into a thick ball that barely holds together. Add a tablespoon or so of water at a time, just enough to pull the dough together. For beginners, it’ll be easier to work with a dough that has slightly too much water, rather than too little. Shape the dough into two circles flattened to about three-quarters of an inch thick.
  • Wrap each circle in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. If using all butter, you may have to let your dough warm up for 5 to 10 minutes before you’ll be able to roll it out.
  • Lightly flour a clean work surface. Unwrap a circle of dough and roll it into a 10-inch round with a thickness of about one-quarter inch. (Save the other circle of dough for another pie.) Ease up on the pressure as you approach the edge — you don’t want the edges too thin. Don’t fret about little cracks that develop as you roll. You can crimp together edges that crack significantly and use excess dough to patch up any holes.
  • Carefully line a 9-inch standard pie pan with the dough. One easy method is to roll dough on waxed paper or a silicone mat, then invert it over the pie pan with one fluid motion, gently settling the crust into place. Or you can gently fold the dough in half, lay it in the pan, and then carefully unfold it. Steal a bit of dough from an overhanging area to patch a hole elsewhere if needed.
  • Trim overhang to one-half or three-quarters of an inch, and crimp or flute the edges all the way around the rim between your thumb and index fingers.
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The best flaky pastry is made with a vodka pie crust recipe. But why put vodka in pie crust? Learn the secret to perfect pie crust without a food processor.

The secret to a memorable pie crust is to build a dough resulting in lots of light, flaky layers that give way to a buttery tenderness in each bite. Those who bake top-notch pies with aplomb deserve our praise. Rest assured, though, that practice makes perfect, and almost any homemade pies will be tastier than store-bought versions. According to Ken Haedrich, author of the book Pie, “You can become about 85 percent proficient as a pie-maker in short order. The other 15 percent you’ll acquire over a lifetime.”

So be patient. Make small tweaks with each new pie. Try different fillings each season. Get used to the feel of dough in your hands. Become familiar with the quirks of your oven. The road to pie perfection is paved with lots of good (even delicious!) intentions.

Tips for Perfect Pie Crust

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