Sally, here it is. I do not add the 2 T. of water and find that the recipe works out better for me. Single-Crust with Vodka (Nancy) Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavorÂdo not substitute. This dough will be moister and more supple than most standard pie doughs and will require more flour to roll out (up to 1/4 cup). 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (6 1/4 ounces) 1/2 teaspoon table salt 1 tablespoon sugar 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (3/4 stick), cut into 1/4-inch slices 1/4 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening , cut into 2 pieces 2 tablespoons vodka , cold 2 tablespoons cold water 1. Process 3/4 cups flour, salt, and sugar together in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogenous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 10 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds with some very small pieces of butter remaining, but there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining 1/2 cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl. 2. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Flatten dough into 4-inch disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days. 3. Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on generously floured (up to ¼ cup) work surface to 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick. Roll dough loosely around rolling pin and unroll into pie plate, leaving at least 1-inch overhang on each side. Working around circumference, ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing into plate bottom with other hand. Leave overhanging dough in place; refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes. 4. Trim overhang to ½ inch beyond lip of pie plate. Fold overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate. Flute dough or press the tines of a fork against dough to flatten it against rim of pie plate. Refrigerate dough-lined plate until firm, about 15 minutes. 5. Remove pie pan from refrigerator, line crust with foil, and fill with pie weights or pennies. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights, rotate plate, and bake for 5 to 10 minutes additional minutes until crust is golden brown and crisp. Michelle

I used the Foolproof Pie Dough recipe and in the end it came out great....really light, flavorful and flaky. However....I had a *horrible* time working with it. It seemed like the right consistency before I ever added the vodka and the water. After the liquid was added, it was VERY sticky and wet. I'm sure I followed the directions and did everything correctly....I weighed the flour and was careful with my measurements. I tried rolling it between parchment paper first and that was a disaster. I got out the other half and rolled it using tons of flour to keep it from sticking and tearing so badly. It would soften after about 2 minutes outside the refrigerator/freezer. After returning it to the freezer several times, I was finally able to coax it into something that looked like a pie shell (I made a chocolate pie with meringue). I put it in the freezer until it got solid again, put it in the oven frozen with parchment and pie weights and it did finally come out beautifully. My question is this...did anyone else have a devil of a time with it? Can I cut the amount of vodka and water in half? Any help appreciated. And...thank you for the recipe, the final result was awesome...I did want to throw it all out for a brief period of time, though.

I have used this recipe for a couple of years now and it is the best I have ever tried. It truly is a NO FAIL crust. And I can't cook! AuntCarol's Pie Crust  Never-Fail Type This pie crust recipe is one thatÂs SUPER easy to roll out  one that never gets soggy  leaving that last piece of pie as good as the first  itÂs the ONLY pie crust recipe IÂll ever use  itÂs the BEST  Ingredients  1 egg  3/4 teaspoon salt  1 tablespoon WHITE vinegar  7 tablespoons water  1 cup shortening (CRISCO)  3 cups flour BEAT egg. ADD salt, vinegar, and water. ADD shortening. BLEND with fork, while ADDING flour about a cup at a time. FORM into one big dough ball. THEN DIVIDE into 3 equal-sized dough balls (or you can divide it into 2 equal-sized dough balls like I do sometimes). ROLL OUT thin on a lightly floured surface and then PLACE into pie pan of your choice. Note: Prepared pie shell should be put into the refrigerator 30 minutes before filling  and REMEMBER all fruit pies should be baked on the lowest rack in your oven  ENJOY  Trish in SC

Gluten in the flour has a good "memory", and while you are working the dough and placing it in the pie dish/pan/tart pan you end up stretching the dough, if you're not really careful, and it will spring back during waiting or baking. So try to roll the dough so there is sufficient surface to fill the pan without having to stretch it into position. Adding pie weights also aids in keeping the dough in place so it doesn't shrink. Did you fill the covered crust with pie weights? (Which can be dry rice, beans, actual pie weights - and you can use the rice or beans over and over again just for this use - I recently read where Shirley O'Corriher - cookbook author - uses pennies.) Cover the formed pastry with a sheet of parchment paper (crumple it a little first and it will fit into the void a lot easier). Some use foil, but I prefer parchment. Add the weights. If you're not familiar with this method, check Martha Stewart or King Arthur Flour for more information. This link will take you to Martha Stewart's recipe for Savory Pie Crust - no sugar. http://www.marthastewart.com/333879/savory-pie-crust  If you want a stronger crust to hold a hearty meat filling, choose a pastry recipe that contains an egg. The protein in the egg will reinforce the structure of the pastry, giving it additional strength. There are many kinds/types of pastry for different uses.