Vodka Pie Crust

Am I the only person still making the Vodka Pie Crust?  Is it out of style?  No longer trending?  I’ve been making the Vodka Pie Crust recipe for over a decade and it has literally never failed me.  So y’all know what they say “If it aint broke don’t fix it”. 

I can’t remember exactly when Chris Kimball came out with this Vodka Pie Crust recipe — it must have been early 2010s  (or even earlier!)  but I do remember it being the go-to recipe for everyone. The novelty of it having vodka in the  pie crust was quickly outweighed by the fact that this recipe makes a perfect crust despite you and your shortcomings every single time.  

At the time the vodka was the scandalous ingredient — had the church ladies clutching their pearls — but now it seems that the scandalous ingredient is the vegetable shortening.   More and more recipes for pie crust are made with all butter.  And yes, I love butter as much as the next baker. But I also recognize that sometimes vegetable shortening is actually a fail safe.  

In my first round audition for the Great American Baking Show, I made these Mini Apple Pies and the feedback I got was that “You’re a pie person”. Yes. Absolutely. This pie crust makes me a pie person. 

Disclaimer: 

If making pie crust intimidates you at all — I promise this is a great pie crust to start out with because there are two epic fail safes in places: 

1. Vegetable Shortening.   Listen, I know that everyone wants to be healthier and vegetable shortening gets a bad rap.  HOWEVER, In certain situations, ones usually involving pie crusts or biscuits, Crisco is really your friend.  Because vegetable shortening can hold its temperature, it provides a baker all sorts of latitude to make mistakes.  Essentially vegetable shortening covers all pastry sins.   I will not apologize for it. 
2. The food processor streamlines the whole thing — and most importantly— reduces the amount of time you are touching the dough and melting the butter. We need the butter to keep its shape because those pockets of butter  make a pie crust flaky.  So the quicker you can make the dough the fewer chances  the butter whas to melt. 

Ingredients 

• All Purpose Flour. If White Lily flour is available where you live, get that one. If not Gold Medal All purpose flour is the next best thing. 
• Granulated sugar 
• Salt 
• Vegetable shortening. I prefer the Crisco baking sticks because they are easier to measure, but with the way inflation is working these days I’m measuring crisco out of the can with my kitchen scale
• Unsalted butter 
• Ice water 
• Cold Vodka 

What kind of Vodka should you use?

The honest answer is whatever vodka you have on hand. 

Since I’ve been making this pie crust for so long I’ve experimented with a couple of brands and generally, the “luxury” vodkas like Grey Goose and Belvedere don’t work as well. I have no scientific rationale as to why — all I can say is that I didn’t like those pie crusts the same.  I typically use Kettle One or Tito’s when making this pie crust.  

A Note About Temperature:

This would not be a post about pie crust without discussing the importance of temperature.  To summarize: everything must be as cold as possible. 

The water must be Vanilla Ice cold. Ice Ice baby.  Fill a measuring cup with ice, add water. When you get to the step to add the water — measure out the amount you need, sans ice. 

Because I never know when I might want to make pie crust I keep the following in my freezer at all times:

• Vodka [this is for many reasons]
• Butter - storing butter in the freezer can extend its shelf life so this is a double win. 
• Crisco baking sticks 

If you don’t have the freezer space — cut the butter and crisco into cubes and put them on a plate in an even layer and freeze for 20 minutes before you start making the vodka pie crust. 

I’ve seen blog posts where people measure out the flour and stick that in the fridge too. I don’t have fridge space for that. But if it makes you feel better go for it. 

If I am making a pie in the summer I will turn the A/C down a couple of degrees and then estimate exactly how many minutes it will be before my husband complains about the electric bill.  Jokes aside, summers in NC are hot and humid so turning down the A/C is a smart strategy. 

Equipment :

• 12 cup food processor 
• Dough scraper 
• Plastic wrap 
• Measuring cups 

Use Marble 

I know. This is extra. I am extra.  About 5 years ago I bought a marble pastry board from Sur La Table. I have a love/hate relationship with it because despite it being on the pricey side - almost immediately the feet on the back of it came off.  So it’s not easy to move. But I will fight with it when I am rolling out pie dough because marble stays cool — meaning those butter pieces I mentioned earlier won’t melt. 

No Distractions 

I try to make my pie dough as fast as I can. No lollygagging in my kitchen. Or handing people snacks, responding to texts or even answering the doorbell. Once I pull my cold ingredients out - it’s go time. 

Pro Tip: make space in your fridge for a cookie sheet before you start rolling the dough. 

Yes, pie dough can be tricky, but you’re the boss of it okay. You’re running this show — and If at any point in the process of rolling out the dough to make a design you can always put the dough on a parchment lined cookie sheet and put it back in the fridge to chill.  

If I’m making any kind of lattice crust, or anything involving cutouts — those dough pieces get mandatory chill time before I start assembling the pie. 

How to Make Pie Crust

1. Pour 1 cup of flour, the sugar and salt in the food processor and blend. 
2. Add the crisco cut into 4 pieces to the flour and the butter cut into tablespoons.  Process until all of the fat is blended in.  
3. Add the remaining flour to the food processor and process for 
4. Pour the ice water and vodka into the food processor and process for a couple of seconds.  
5. Scrape the dough out into a floured surface and divide the dough in half. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out. 

Freezer Friendly 

Vodka pie crust is so easy to freeze. You have a couple of options depending on your freezer space 

1. Freeze the dough in a disc. The day before you’re ready to bake, but the dough in the fridge to thaw and roll out normally. 
2. You can roll the dough and place it in an aluminum foil pan. Cover the dough and pan with plastic wrap and aluminum foil.  When you’re ready to bake - you can bake directly from frozen.

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