Vodka pastry help

[dutchdot]

I love the vodka infused pie crusts, but I can't get it to roll worth a darn. I now give it a coupld of turns and then stick it in the pie plate and push it around to make a crust.

What am I doing wrong?

I see clumps of butter in it, but it's just so soft.

Everyone talks about it being like playdough and mine is definitely not there.

[oryza]

What are the proportions in the recipe (flour fat liquid)? (Post please! I want to try making one too).

If you use less liquid and add just a tbsp at a time, you can get to a more manageable texture... I always use less liquid than called for in crusts (except in the case of a sable) to get that particular texture.

But if pushing it around works, it's a great solution, too. I do that as well when the dough doesn't want to cooperate. Another trick I use is to sandwich the dough between layers of plastic wrap or parchment, (or whatever) and roll it out between the layers; it kind of squeezes out into a circle without sticking to the work surface or rolling pin. It also makes it really simple to plop into the tin and keeps my warm hands away from the dough.

[thrackle]

This response is a bit late, but the ingredients are:

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

[dutchdot]

I always let my pastry chill more than is even recommended. Don't know what to do, but will probably just start pushing it around the pie plate and calling it done. It tastes great.

Thank you all for trying to help

[withalonge]

I do find it more difficult to work with in a warm room... and I do have to use plenty of extra flour (but I'm at 5600 ft, so I have always wondered if that was an altitude issue or what).

I also use a silpat and a chilled marble rolling pin to roll mine out... that seems to help a lot. makes it very easy to handle.

[bflocat]

This summer, I've had to chill mine a couple of hours before it's workable. Also, I always roll mine out between two sheets of plastic (saran) wrap, after lightly flouring it, and I never have any problem.

[Kelli2006]

Did you chilled the dough for 1 hour prior to rolling it out? This is a crucial step, because your dough will be unworkable if skipped.

Your profile doesn't not state you location, but if you live in a humid area your flour might have absorbed moisture from the summer air, so you may have to add more flour to bring it to the proper consistency.

[ipsedixit]

Ditto everything Kelli2006 said. Chilling your dough is crucial.

Also, might help if you work on a cool surface (e.g. cool marble slab).