Marie Saba

From My Kitchen To Yours

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

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

Place flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

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