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The day I stopped fighting with pie crust and tried the vodka trick
I used to get so frustrated with dry, cracking pie dough that stuck to everything. Every recipe said add ice water a tablespoon at a time, but I always ended up adding too much and getting a tough crust. Then I read about substituting half the water with vodka on a random blog post. Vodka evaporates in the oven, so you get a tender, flaky crust without the gluten forming too much. I tried it last weekend for a Thanksgiving practice pie at my place in Denver and it rolled out like a dream. Has anyone else had luck with this method or tried something weirder like vinegar?
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the_hannah6d ago
Oh man, the vodka trick is a total game changer. I was skeptical at first too. I use about 2 tablespoons of vodka and the rest water for a single crust. Makes it so easy to roll out without that tough, shrinky result. I tried vinegar once - just a teaspoon in the water. It worked okay but gave a slightly weird tang. Stick with the vodka, you won't regret it. For real, my pie crust went from a stress point to something I actually enjoy making.
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nora545d ago
Notice how the same trick works for a lot of things in life, not just pie crust. My sister insists on using cold butter in her biscuits and it's the same idea. You stop the flour from soaking up too much water and getting tough. It's like when you add a little salt to coffee to cut the bitterness. Small weird tricks that go against what seems normal but actually make everything better. I tried the vodka trick last Thanksgiving after reading about it online and now I won't make crust without it.
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