Marie Saba

From My Kitchen To Yours

Facebook Youtube Instagram Pinterest

Flakey Pie Crust

Go To Recipe

This recipe for Flakey Pie Crust is just like my classic recipe for an all-butter pie crust, except it includes two extra ingredients that solve several of the most common pie problems.

First, we add baking powder. Baking powder is a leavening agent that gives the crust a little “puff.” This puff helps prevent a tough bottom crust, making the pie easy to cut and serve. At the same time, the extra puff gives the crust some structure, helping to avoid the dreaded soggy bottom. Even better, the baking powder lightens and expands the crust, making the edges look nice and full.

Second, we add vodka. When water interacts with flour, it prompts the formation of gluten (a network of proteins that strengthens dough, which is great for bread but not for pie crust). So the goal with pie crust is to add just enough water to hold the mixture together, but not so much to activate additional gluten. The benefit of vodka, which is about 60% alcohol and 40% water, is that it moistens the dough without adding as much water as, well, water. With less water to activate the gluten, your crust is more likely to be tender and flakey rather than tough and chewy.

If you’re new to pie making, this recipe for Flakey Pie Crust is for you. While I’m hesitant to call any recipes “foolproof,” this is about as close as it gets. You can take a deep breath and feel confident that even if the butter gets a little warm, or even if the dough feels a little sticky, or even if your water isn’t ice cold, you’ll still end up with a deliciously tender, flakey, buttery pie crust.

So what are you waiting for? Bust out the vodka and the baking powder! Let’s make some pies! Need a filling idea? I’ve got you covered: Coconut Cream, Chocolate Cream, Bourbon Pecan, Classic Pumpkin, Dutch Apple, Key Lime, Peach & Blueberry and more!

Flakey Pie Crust

  • Makes one 9- or 10-inch pie crust

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cup (170 g) all-purpose flour (plus extra for rolling out the dough)
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 g) sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon (2 g) Kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) baking powder
  • 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter (cold), cut into cubes
  • 2 Tablespoons (30 mL) Vodka
  • 3 Tablespoons (45 mL) cold water

Instructions

  1. Place flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.
  2. Add butter. Pulse about 10 times, until the butter and flour start to combine. The butter will be in some smaller pieces (like peas) and some larger pieces (like walnuts).
  3. Add 2 tablespoons Vodka and 3 Tablespoons very cold water. Pulse about 6-8 times. The dough should feel crumbly when you run your fingers through it, but should hold together when you squeeze it in your hand.
  4. Spread a large piece of plastic wrap on the counter (approximately 1 1/2 feet long). Gently dump the dough (it will be crumbly) onto plastic wrap. Pull plastic wrap together around the dough and mold it with your hands so the dough forms a disc inside the wrap. Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour, and up to 48 hours.
  5. When you are ready to roll out the crust, remove dough from refrigerator, unwrap and let sit at room temperature for about 5 or 10 minutes.
  6. Use your hands to flatten the dough slightly so it will be easier to roll out. Toss some flour on your countertop. Place dough in the center. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a circular shape that has about the same thickness all the way around. To keep the dough from sticking and to help keep the dough in a round circle, turn the dough ¼ turn clockwise after each roll. Continue rolling and turning until the circle is evenly rolled out.
  7. Once the dough is large enough to fit your pie plate, gently place in the pie plate with edges hanging over. Gently press the dough into the bottom of the plate. Using your hands, tuck any dough that overhangs the plate into an even edge that rests on the lip of the plate.
  8. Use your hands to even the edge if needed. Finally, crimp the edges with your fingers for a decorative scalloped shape. Wrap in saran wrap and store crust in freezer for at least 20 minutes or up to 1 month.
  9. When you are ready to bake a pie, simply remove the pie crust and pie plate from the freezer, let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, add the filling and bake. Baking the crust from frozen will help the pie crust keep its shape as it bakes. If you are making a pie that requires blind baking (baking the crust without a filling), follow the instructions here.
Print - English
Print - Spanish

*I use affiliate links for my favorite products. If you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much for helping me keep this website up and running!

Share With A Friend

Welcome!

Hi! I’m Marie. Mama, wife, homebody. I’m a self-taught chef and cookbook author. 

I love sharing fast, fresh, family-friendly recipes that will, hopefully, make your life a little easier.

Above all, I love spending time in the kitchen with family and friends. Come join us!

Contact

Watch & Cook With Me!

Other Recipes You'll Love!

9 Responses

  1. Hi u teach very well and explained things,I’m 75 years old,
    Can I use my kitchen aid mixer to make the hand pies pastry (blueberries
    I don’t have a food processor I live in AUSTRALIA
    TAKE CARE
    EILEEN

    Reply

  2. Hi can I use my kitchen aid mixer,I don’t have a processor,
    I enjoy the way u teach ,I live in Australia
    I’m 75 years old
    Take care xx

    Reply

  3. Hi Marie,
    I tried your pie crust recipe for the first time today. Everything went perfectly and is cooling in the fridge until tomorrow. I’m also using your Apple Pie recipe. The only thing I can’t figure out is if there will be enough dough for a pie top? Your instructions don’t say anything about diving the dough into 2 balls. Am I supposed to double the recipe for a top or will there be enough leftover for a cover? If there’s not enough left over I thought I’d make a flour, oat, butter, brown sugar crumble for the top.
    Thanks for your suggestions.
    Lynn Mc
    Canada Thanksgiving 2025

    Reply

    1. Hi Lynn! For the apple pie, you need two crusts, so you would need to make my pie crust twice. Your idea of making a crumb topping though is perfect! I love a crumb topping on just about any pie! Hope everything turned out well! Thanks so much for your note and please stay in touch. Hugs, Marie

      Reply

    2. Hi,
      Im Paula, im a chef and live in NS just outside Halifax. This is enough for 1 bottom, you’d have to double to get a top. I feel bad I didnt see this until after Thanksgiving. Hope you had a great one! BTW this is an excellent recipe.

      Reply

      1. Hi Paula! Correct, this is for 1 crust. For a double crust pie, I recommend making two single crusts, one after another. I find it is easier to evenly mix in the butter and water when you’re just working with crust at a time. Hope that helps! Happy belated Canadian Thanksgiving! Hugs, Marie

        Reply

  4. Hi Marie, I’m excited to try this recipe but wondered if I could use a tablespoon of vinegar in place of the vodka. I’ve seen recipes that have used vinegar in pie crust before. Thank you!

    Carol

    Reply

    1. Hi Carol! Yes! I would use just 1-2 teaspoons vinegar and the rest water. More vinegar than that can leave an aftertaste in the baked crust. If you use 2 teaspoons vinegar, it would be 4 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon water. Hope that helps! Hugs, Marie

      Reply

  5. I”m 75 and have tryed to make pie crust in the past never could make them until I found you by far the best pie crust we made your Chicken pot pie with your pie crust made two gave one to my Daughter they also loved it. this Thinksgiving we will be serving all home made pies with your recipes. Thank you 100 stars to you

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Copyright © Marie Saba 2020

Developed By SebenzaOnline

Menu

Marie Saba

From My Kitchen To Yours

Home Page

About

About

Press Links

Who We've Worked With

Recipes

All Recipes

Browse by Category

Search

Shop Kitchen Faves