{"id":4968,"date":"2020-12-08T21:04:43","date_gmt":"2020-12-09T02:04:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/recipephany.com\/?p=4968"},"modified":"2023-08-16T13:43:12","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T17:43:12","slug":"screwdriver-pie-crust","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/recipephany.com\/?p=4968","title":{"rendered":"Screwdriver Pie Crust"},"content":{"rendered":"

Somewhere along the line, we came to treat pie crust like a prima donna. Handle it gingerly, they say, or it will toughen and refuse to cooperate. Use your best butter, make sure to chill the dough, yada yada yada.<\/p>\n

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Happily, for decades our Orange Juice Pastry<\/a> has worked yeoman\u2019s duty without complaint. What makes it so agreeable? First, the shortening (yes, Crisco, thankfully now transfat-free) enjoys being handled at room temperature. And the orange juice\u2014cold and a tad acidic\u2014plays well with the shortening.<\/p>\n

One sticking point, though. How much OJ is just right? Too little and the dough gets dry and hard to roll. Too much liquid might develop the gluten in the flour and cause the crust to toughen.<\/p>\n

The solution: add in another liquid that, unlike the water in the juice, won\u2019t activate the gluten. Vodka, for instance. And it becomes Screwdriver Pie Crust.<\/p>\n

Vodka is a secret ingredient in many pie crust recipes that call for ice water. So why not use it with orange juice? After all, vodka and OJ have long been a power couple in the Screwdriver cocktail.<\/p>\n

Mixing a Screwdriver and then drizzling it into the dough does the trick. It moistens the dough enough to make it soft and easy to roll without over-activating the gluten. And no matter how much we roll and re-roll the dough, Screwdriver Pie Crust stays tender and flaky. For fun, we like to roll out any leftover dough, sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar, and cut it into tiny pastry-style cookies.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And, of course, you can guess what we like to do with any leftover Screwdriver.<\/p>\n

Screwdriver Pie Crust<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Shown above as crust for Ma’s Lemon Sponge Pie<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Two-Crust Pie<\/em><\/p>\n