Vodka Pie Crust Dough

1. Cut butter into 1/2 tablespoon-sized chunks. Arrange on a plate and freeze until hard, about 20 minutes.

2. Sift flour into the bowl of a food processor. Add sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add 1/2 of the frozen butter pieces and mix until incorporated. Add the remaining butter pieces and pulse briefly until pea-sized chunks are visible; do not overmix.

3. Transfer dough to a mixing bowl and add ice water and vodka. Mix with a hand pastry blender just until a crumbly dough forms. Use your hands to compress the crumbs into a single ball of dough. Divide dough in half then roll each half into a balls wrap in plastic, and press flat into a disc. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

4. To use: remove from the refrigerator and roll each dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper; dough will be fairly sticky. Bake as directed for any pie recipe you are following.

Cook's Notes:

As with all pastry dough, the secret is keep it cold!

I use salted butter because that is what my local market sells. If using unsalted butter, simply increase the salt added to 1 teaspoon.