Lindy's Favorite Pie Crust
Lindy’s Favorite Pie Crust uses just a bit of cold vodka in the crust making this pie crust one of the easiest to work with. The combination of butter and cold shortening creates the perfect flaky crust. This will soon be your favorite pie crust too!
Ingredients
- 1 1//4 cups unbleached all purpose flour divided
- ½ teaspoon salt if you use kosher, like I do, use a generous ½ teaspoon
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter ¾ stick cut into cubes
- ¼ cup cold shortening I use Earth Balance, an all-natural shortening I get at Whole Foods, which contains no trans fats
- 1 tablespoon ice-cold vodka
- 2 tablespoons ice-cold water or as needed
Instructions
- In a food processor, process ¾ cup of the flour along with the salt and sugar until combined. Add the butter and shortening and process until a homogenous dough collects in uneven clumps; about 10 seconds. The dough will resemble cottage cheese, some of the butter and shortening might show, but all the flour should be coated. Scrape the bowl with a spatula to redistribute the dough. Add the remaining ½ cup flour and pulse until the mixture is evenly distributed around the bowl, about 4 - 6 quick pulses.
- Add the vodka and water, and pulse until the dough becomes slightly tacky and sticks together. Remove from the processor and flatten into a 4-inch disk; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.
- Adjust the oven rack to the lowest position and heat to 400°F. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll out on a generously floured board or parchment paper (I like to use the parchment and turn it to make the round always rolling from the middle to the outside) to a 12-inch circle about ⅛ inch thick. Fold into quarters, or roll loosely onto the rolling pin (whichever way works best for you) and unroll (or unfold) into the pie pan. Working around the outside, using one hand to lift the dough while the other hand presses it gently into the pan, ease the dough into the pan, pressing well to the bottom and sides. Cut the overhang to ½ inch around, then press it under; the folded edge should be flush with the edge of the pan. Using a thumb and finger, flute the edge. Place in freezer 15 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the freezer and line the crust with foil or parchment paper; fill with pie weights or beans. Bake for 15 minutes, remove the foil and bake 5 minutes more or until lightly browned. Continue with your recipe.
Notes
Allow the dough to rest at least 1-hour and up to 2 days in the refrigerator. May be frozen and thawed prior to rolling out, or roll out after resting and freeze until ready to use.
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