Flakey Pie Dough
This recipe is adapted from the Cook's Illustrated recipe. It creates an amazing pie crust, similar to the one used in my Salmon Pie recipe.
This recipe is adapted from the Cook's Illustrated recipe. It creates an amazing pie crust, similar to the one used in my Salmon Pie recipe.
- Carbohydrate 316.029956479299 g
- Cholesterol 409.28629969057 mg
- Fat 218.559708815251 g
- Fiber 9.97745077706678 g
- Protein 34.1938898124584 g
- Saturated Fat 119.118011721436 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (710g)
- Sodium 28.5842013759754 mg
- Sugar 306.052505702232 g
- Trans Fat 14.0829155304968 g
- Calories 3481 calories
Step-by-step
- First, process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.
- Then, Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.
Why does replacing half the liquid with 80-proof alcohol yield a tender crust without toughness? Water activates gluten proteins in all-purpose flour to build elasticity, but ethanol inhibits gluten formation entirely. Substituting cold vodka for a portion of the water hydrates the flour to make the dough malleable for rolling while keeping baked layers exceptionally fragile.
Using solid fats like chilled butter and vegetable shortening requires distinct handling compared to rendered fats. Cutting butter into quarter-inch slices leaves distinct pockets that melt during baking, creating steam pockets for flakiness, whereas solid vegetable shortening coats the flour thoroughly to shorten gluten strands and improve structural tenderness.
Resting the flattened four-inch disks in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes solidifies the softened milk fats and relaxes the starch matrix. Chilling prevents the butter from melting prematurely onto the counter during rolling and guarantees cleaner edges when transferring the sheet into a pie pan.
Keeping unused portions wrapped tightly in plastic safeguards the texture for up to forty-eight hours before baking. Freezing extends this storage window significantly, provided the disks thaw gradually in the refrigerator overnight to prevent condensation from making the exterior sticky.
