From the kitchen of my husband’s Grandma Dotty, this pie crust recipe is one of her prized possessions.

Every special occasion my husband’s grandma Dotty always makes a delicious pie with her cherished pie crust recipe. Her pie crust has the perfect balance of flaky, tender pastry and rich buttery flavor. I honestly can’t conceive of a better pie crust and it’s always the recipe I turn to when I’m making any fruit pie.

Grandma Dotty’s Pie Crust

*Makes two pie crusts

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp kosher salt

2 TBSP granulated sugar

12 TBSP cold unsalted butter

½ cup cold shortening

¼ cup cold vodka

¼ cup cold water

To a large mixing bowl, add the flour, salt and sugar; stir to combine.

Add the cold butter by cutting it into ¼” sized pieces, add the shortening by doing the same. 

With your fingertips rub the butter and shortening into the flour mixture until the butter is incorporated and turns into uneven clumps. 

Gently mix in the cold water and vodka a little bit at time until a dough that holds together forms. 

Divide the dough into two even balls and flatten into disks. 

Wrap your two dough disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or overnight before using.

*Notes:

It’s important to not overmix the dough when you’re adding in the vodka and water. If you knead it too much the pie crust will be tough instead of tender.

If the pie crust dough seems too dry and won’t hold together, add more cold water into the dough a ¼ teaspoon at a time. If you add too much water it will become too sticky so it’s very important to add in the moisture a little bit at a time. 

Refrigerating the pie dough is a crucial step. It helps the gluten in the dough to relax as well as giving the flour time to hydrate. Both make it easier to roll out when making your pie shell.