Have you heard of the vodka pie crust recipe? It made big news in the baking world when Cook's Illustrated first published it last fall. Half of the pie dough's moisture comes from vodka, which is 40% pure alcohol. The alcohol doesn't promote gluten formation, so it helps the crust stay much flakier and more tender - a foolproof help to those of us who tend to overwork our pie dough.
So, how does this pie dough work? Is the unconventional addition of vodka worth it? We gave it a spin and here are our thoughts.
A pie crust is made of just a few things, as Emma described. The vodka recipe doesn't change much of that classic formula of fat, flour, and liquid; the vodka is the main innovation.
This recipe specifically calls for a food processor to mix the dry ingredients (flour, salt, sugar) and the fat (a mixture of butter and shortening). We mixed those up in a jiffy and cut in the butter and shortening. We pulverized these with just a couple quick bursts (watch for a more detailed post on the whole process of making a pie soon).
Then it was time to add the vodka! (We used Sobieski Vodka, an inexpensive but very nice variety from Poland that we've been trying out. It's actually the #1 vodka in Poland and only recently introduced to the US.) An equal amount of vodka and water go into this crust recipe. We stirred it around with a spatula and the dough quickly formed a smooth ball. We wrapped it in plastic and put it in the fridge to chill.
Now, here is where this crust gets tricky. There is quite a bit of extra moisture in it because of the vodka. See, most of that alcohol burns off while cooking, leaving a flaky, tender crust behind. But meanwhile the unbaked dough is very sticky - much, much stickier than the stiff pie dough we're used to. So here is the main tip we would offer when working with this recipe:
• Chill your dough until it's as stiff as taffy or another hard candy. You want to still be able to roll it out, but it should be very stiff. Otherwise it will stick to your rolling board or countertop very badly, no matter how much flour you use.
After a couple false starts trying to get this very soft, biscuit-y dough into our pan in one piece we just patted it out from the middle of the pan. It didn't look pretty, but it held promise.
Sure enough, this baked dough (we had some scraps we baked and ate immediately) was the tenderest, flakiest crust we'd ever used in a pie. Delicious! (And no taste of alcohol, in case you were wondering.)
We're not the first to blog this pie crust; check out these commentaries as well, both with reprints of the recipe.
• Cook's Illustrated's Foolproof Pie Dough at Serious Eats
• pie crust 101 at Smitten Kitchen
Have you ever tried this pie dough? We are definitely adding it to our regular repertoire.
Related: Recipe: Basic Pie Crust
Related: Food Science: The Anatomy of a Pie Crust
(Images: Faith Durand)
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I'd like to try it, but just can't stand shortening... I'll try experimenting with an all-butter crust. This dough looks pretty tricky though.
I haven't tried this recipe but I've recommended it to a friend who had never made a pie before and he said it came out very well. What I would suggest, though, is to roll it out between saran wrap or (via Alton Brown) a gallon or 2 gallon freezer bag that's been cut so that it opens book-like. The plastic makes it so that the dough only has the dough to stick to and it reduces the amount of extra flour you need to add to the crust. This is what I do with my all-cream and butter pie crust recipe, which, containing no water and only cream and butter, is a very sticky crust. Also, at one point, Cook's Illustrated reviewed a pie-crust sleeve of some sort that was washable and reusable and that you could use to roll crust out in a more eco-friendly way.
Yes, I think this is a good recipe, too, but you can't expect it to behave like other crusts. The end result is really tasty and flaky.
I definitely agree with everyone that the key is keeping it very very chilled. Rolling it out between saran wrap or wax paper is good too - not only does that help deal with the stickiness but you can also just stick the partially-rolled-out crust back in the fridge for a few minutes if it gets too warm.
Mschatelaine - I'd be curious to hear how this recipe works if you just use all butter instead of the butter-shortening mix. If you try it soon, let us know!
Most vodka that I've seen is 40 proof (that's 20% alcohol), and I've seen 50 proof, but never 80 proof, as this post states.
That said, this sounds like a great way to keep your crusts nice and flaky!
@jumpyfroggy:
That's strange, I've never seen vodka less than 40% (80 proof).
Ditto, xtal.
Anyway, I've never tried this method, though I've heard about it. I've also heard of using vinegar?
Same here. My vodka is 80 proof, but I keep some 100 proof for extractions, particularly for homemade limoncello. Mmmmmm.
I've definitely had 80 proof vodka. It served me well in college.
I don't know much about the baking of pie crusts and why things do what they do, but does anyone know if this might help a whole-wheat pie crust act better, too? I'm partial to whole wheat when I can use it, so I'll probably try it anyway, but... I was just curious.
Can I add olives and a splash of vermouth and call it a martini pie? :)
ejbrammer - have you tried whole wheat pastry flour? Look for the Bob's Red Mill brand, I know they make it.
Lol Kathryn.
I'm so excited about this recipe! I've been using a Cooks Illustrated pie crust for years and it -almost- foolproof. I trust his new to be even better - I'm stoked to give it a try!
For the person who hates shortening... have you tried the butter flavored stuff? its surprisingly tasty.
PLEASE do not repeat the myth that alcohol burns away when cooked. It does NOT, especially in baked goods. In fact more of it stays in during baking than almost any other cooking method. You need to inform anyone that may eat this crust that there is vodka in it. Not only might you be jeopardizing sobriety by not informing a potential diner (you NEVER know who may be in a program) but you may also trigger sever allergies. My wife is violently and deathly allergic to alcohol, even trace amounts.
You can start here for some hard science on the myth: http://cooking.cdkitchen.com/AHealthyBite/385.html - Mark Bittman is also trying to dispel the myth: http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/six-kitchen-myths-that-deserve-debunking/
This is something that ALL food writers should spread once they learn it. Please spread the word - booze does NOT cook off. Science has disproved that kitchen myth.
JimK_MoA, maybe ALL the alcohol doesn't burn off, and maybe there are people out there that are terribly allergic, but the sobriety issue is surprising to me. There's only 1/4 cup of vodka in this recipe, which traslates to 0.25oz if there are 8 slices in the pie. Even if NONE of the alcohol burns off, which is unlikely, i don't see how this much alcohol is going to affect ANYONE (allergies aside) especially if the pie doesn't taste like alcohol, as noted above. Is someone really going to fall off the wagon because they had .25oz that they never even noticed? Seriously???
JimK_MoA, that makes no sense. Alcohol evaporates at lower temperatures than water does. This is the entire basis for the distillation process that creates the vodka in the first place. In the case of rum cake I'm sure that some residual alcohol is left behind, but those retain a lot of their moisture. I've made vodka pie crust, and the crust is hardly wet when you finish.
In the article you referenced he talked about simmering a sauce on a low heat, not baking in a 350 degree oven. It's not the same.
And as for your wife's allergy, the onus lies on her to be vocal about it. Trace amounts of alcohol can develop in fruit juices if they are left on the counter for a few hours.
All that said, vodka pie crust is the tops. It lets you have a wetter crust which means no crumbling and falling apart, but it still comes out perfect.
This is the easiest crust you'll ever roll out in your life! I've probably made this foolproof crust a dozen times, and haven't had it crack on me yet. It's now my go-to pie dough.
There is definitely nothing tricky about it, as long as it's cold, and please don't try rushing it, just stick it back in the fridge and walk away for 15 minutes if you feel it softening.
Also I have a pie rolling bag, and I love it, love it, love it! Much easier than messing with parchment, the flour stays inside the bag, easy to measure the crust size, it's great!
Do you think adding a spirit with more flavor (like reposado tequila or spiced rum or even flavored vodkas) would also work, plus add some flavor to the crust?
I've heard the same thing about alcohol not cooking fully out. It was surprising. A simple google search of "does alcohol cook out of food" will bring up tons of results. I realize this isn't exactly the point of the article, but JimK is right nonetheless.
Sounds DELICIOUS though... and thanks for the tip of putting it between saran wrap to roll it! I always forget about the most simple solutions!
@ Jim. You are correct in saying that in most cases alcohol does not evaporate in cooking, where the solvent is water (won't go higher than 100 C) and which also hydrogen-bonds to the alcohol (makes it tougher to remove all alcohol). In the case of this crust however there is a very small amount of alcohol in an oven. This will be vaporized within the time of cooking as the temperature (180 degrees C) will annihilate the alcohol molecules which evaporate around 78 C. Still, if you are happier to abstain, that is your own decision.
I for one look forward to trying.
definitely not a fan of this recipe. crust was not as flaky as others that i have tried...reminded me more of an apple turnover pastry than a light crust.
I've used the ATK recipe that is identical to this one except for swapping half the water for vodka, and it was my favorite, no-fail pie crust -- until now! There's not a huge difference between the two, but it is noticeable. For those of you who don't have vodka or wish not to use it, just substitute ice water for the vodka for a great backup crust recipe.