Foolproof Pie Dough
Published October 13, 2012
Karsten Moran for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 10 minutes, plus chilling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 ½ ounces)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), cut into ¼-inch slices
½ cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
¼ cup vodka, cold
¼ cup cold water
Nutritional analysis per serving
74 grams carbs; 91 milligrams cholesterol; 909 calories; 21 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams saturated fat; 61 grams fat; 3 grams trans fat; 2 grams fiber; 445 milligrams sodium; 9 grams protein; 7 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Process 1 ½ 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.
- Step 2
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.
Correction: December 9, 2012Because of an editing error, a headline for a recipe that accompanied an article on Oct. 14 about Christopher Kimball, the host of the TV show ‘‘America’s Test Kitchen,’’ referred imprecisely to the discoverer of ‘‘Foolproof Pie Dough.’’ It was developed by a test-kitchen team led by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, not by Kimball.
Private Notes
Comments
I'm a good pie crust maker- been at it since I was 12. So, I'm like, you know, Qualified.
This is the best crust I've ever made. J. Kenji Alt is a minor god in my pantheon. You do have to have faith and follow the instructions (except for the vodka part- you can also use cheap rum.) You do have to use waaay more flour when rolling than you ever thought appropriate. Try it, follow the instructions, practice a little bit, reap the compliments. It's that good...
I pour the dough from the food processor to a large ziplock bag. The bag keeps all of the bits together as you work it into a cohesive shape. Take it out, divide in half and make discs. Bag in the bag and into the freezer or refrigerator.
I have made this crust three times now. The end result is the best pie crust I've ever had!
However, I wonder about the water/vodka vlm. Even adding half the liquid volume makes for a very wet and sticky dough. I've never been able to add more than 1/8 + 1/8 cup.
Another thing is when baking the crust, the crust shrinks considerably down the sides of the pie plate. I try and leave ample crust up the edge of the plate, otherwise I've had some pies leak over and under the crust.
Rolling trick that uses less flour - roll with the plastic wrap on top! Move the plastic wrap as needed and only use extra flour on the bottom surface. Lift the rolled crust (I use a spatula) on to the rolling pin, lay into the pie pan, and peel off the plastic wrap. After 100’s of pie crusts, this recipe is GOAT.
Go
It would be nice if all recipes listed the mass of the ingredients. The volume measures vary too much depending on many factors. And one stick of butter is a very American concept. Why make people in other countries look that up. So not helpful.