Doug's Perfect Pie Crust

My husband, Doug,  is a great cook, and he is always looking for the perfect recipe.  He shouted, 

"Eureka! I found it!" 

when he tried this pie crust.  There are a few tips to follow when making pie crust, but it is worth the effort once you taste it.  This is the pie dough Doug's always been looking for.

Perfect Pie Dough

Foolproof Pie Dough

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 12 tablespoons (1 -1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
• 1/4 cup cold vodka
• 1/4 cup cold water

Printable Version of Recipe:  Perfect Pie Dough PDF

Gather the ingredients.

Measure and add 1-1/2 cups flour to food processor.

Add 2 tablespoons sugar.

Add 1 teaspoon salt.

Process until combined, about 2 one-second pulses.

from: Pie Crust: Buy It vs. Make It

• Keep it cold. The shortening, the liquid, even the crust itself—once it’s made, stick it in the fridge (or freezer, if you only have 10 minutes) so it can get even colder. Brr.
• Handle it as little possible. (Cold and hands-off, like a proper British nanny.)
• Roll out between two pieces of wax or parchment paper, so you don’t bork the whole thing trying to get it into the pie pan.
• Don’t skimp on the flour (on the rolling pin, on parchment paper, and on your work surface).
• Substitute ice-cold vodka for all or some of the water.

Wait, what was that last tip? Seriously! It’s real! It comes straight from Cook’s Illustrated, doesn’t change the flavor, and makes for a much flakier crust. Sssh, it’s our new secret!
This recipe was taken from Cook's Illustrated's Foolproof Pie Dough.

Add butter evenly over flour mixture.

Cold butter cut into 1/4 inch slices.

Add cold vegetable shortening that has been cut into about 4 pieces.

Process until homogeneous, dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps,
about 15 seconds.

Dough will resemble cottage cheese curds, and there will be no uncoated flour.

Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade.
Add remaining cup of flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl
and mass of dough has broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses.

Empty flour and shortening mixture into medium bowl and sprinkle vodka and water over mixture.
The alcohol adds moistness to the dough without aiding in gluten formation, since gluten doesn't form in alcohol. 

With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough.

Dough will be slightly tacky and stick together.

Divide dough into two even balls.
Pictured is Doug's Mom's  flour sack towel that is kept in the freezer
so it is ready to use when rolling out pie crust.  
He got this tip from watching his Mom make pies.

Flatten each into 4-inch disks.

Wrap each disk in plastic wrap.

Refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

Tips on rolling out he pie dough from bon appetit web sight:
1.   Flour your surface and your rolling pin well.  Roll lightly from the center out, ligting and frequently rotating the dough clockwise.

or counterclockwise to make sure it isn't sticking.

If you are using a rolling pin with handles, ease up on your pressure toward the edges.  If you are using a pin that tapers or

thins out at the sides, you can use even pressure throughout.

Make sure that your dough is 2 to 3 inches bigger in circumference than your pie plate.  to easily measure the

circumference, use a ruler or roll out the dough on a silicone mat that has measurements printed on it.

2.  Transfer to a pie plate.

To move the dough from the countertop to pan, wrap it loosely around the rolling pin.  The pin helps to center the dough over the

filling.. Or you can just fold it lightly in half and then in half again, transfer it to the pie plate, and unfold it.

3.  Crimp the crust.

For crimps, pinch with your thumb and index finger on one side and press with your other index finger on the other side.

4.  Bake

Use a crust protector to avoid burning the crimped edges before the pie is done.  If you don't alreaqdy have one,  it's easy to

make at home.  Cut a piece of foil 36 inches long.  fold in thirds lengthwise.  Wrap it around the pie plate, clipping the two

ends of the foil together.  The foil will stand approximatley two inches above the pastry and plate rim; it doesn't need to be

folded over the crust to prevent burning.

Here are four unique ways to shape the edge of a pie crust (pictured).     

Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/tipstools/tips/2008/04/how_to_make_pie_crust#ixzz2EaxQUWrM

Doug used this pie crust for his traditional Apple Dumplings.
Recipe to follow.