Thats the perfect combo!
Vodka in place of water?
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I have done it with all vodka, and I don’t think enough gluten develops. The crust has more of a crumbly shortbread or Pate brisee texture. I would recommend half and half water and vodka.
Not having to worry (too much) about the temperature of your butter is one of the great things about Kenji’s method. I take my butter straight from the fridge and cut it into smaller chunks, then toss it into the food processor with the flour and blitz. So much less fussy than having to grate frozen butter or worry about your hands being too warm and melting your pea-sized bits, etc.
I never had a problem freezing the dough when I used vodka - it’s a small amount of alcohol relative to the other ingredients.
Something to consider nxt time thanks.
Good to know. The recipe came together so fast the melt factor was not an issue. The box grater/hand mix helped me judge the water better I think. Cleaning a fp for a 5 min dough…hmmm😉
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For apple pie, try adding several Tbsps of shredded cheddar to the crust. For pear pie, gruyere or Jarlsberg.
Sub butter for third.to a half of the shortening. You can also add flavor to crust with extracts, or spices like cardamom, cinnamon, or pumpkin spice blend.
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Thxs for the tips and suggestions. Shredded cheese sounds excellent right off the bat.
Agreed. When I first read about the vodka technique it just annoyed me (partly because I don’t like vodka and never have it on hand). UNTIL. It dawned on me that I could add bourbon or rum to the dough in the same way, which adds an actual flavor. Not that I do it that often, but it was so much fun to do it and have it work.
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4 1/2 C Flour
1 3/4 C shortening or half butter, half shortening or lard or whatever.
1 egg
1 or 2 T Vinear
Cold water
Pulse flour & fat together in the food processor till it’s grainy. Add the egg & pulse another time or two. Dump it into a bowl & add enough cold water till it makes a dough. The amount of water varies depending on how much is in the flour.
I rarely chill the dough before I use it. I usually just roll it out & make the pie. However, this does make two complete crusts (tops & bottoms) or a little more if you make lattice tops. Freezes just fine although it gets a little blotchy looking when you thaw it. That disappears when you bake it.
Before:
After:
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OMG bourbon peach pie…yes!
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Nicely done.
What a great idea. I will need to try it. Do you do half booze/half water?
Omg yes
Simetimes a touch of bourbon makes an appearance in homemade holiday applesauce.
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Another vote for Kenji’s crust. I used to hate the unpredictability of my pie crusts until I met Kenji’s crust. Perfect every time and rolls out so easily.
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I was just reading these SE tips while enjoying my coffee. I have never par cooked apples intended for pie. Thoughts?
Cranberry sauce in my house!
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Yes. The weather around here has been up and down (in the 60s yesterday, in the 80s today) but next time the temperature drops I’m definitely doing this again. Thanks to all in this thread for reminding me!
