Flaky Pie Crust

Light, crispy and melt in your mouth pastry! What more can you ask for from a gluten-free pie crust.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, cold & cubed
1/4 cup Crisco, cold & cubed (can use all butter instead, however shortening does help make a flakier crust)
3 Tbsp water + 3 Tbsp vodka, ice cold (won’t use all this liquid)
1 1/4 cup GF flour blend*
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar (reduce to 1 tsp for savory crust)

*Flour Blend: 3/4 cup super fine white rice flour, 1/4 cup potato starch, 1/4 cup sweet rice flour,1/4 cup tapioca starch, 1 tsp xanthan gum.  Whisk until combined.  This will give you a bit extra, so you can use for rolling.
Directions:
Place butter and shortening in the freezer for 15 minutes. Combine the water and vodka in a glass and place in freezer for 15 minutes.

In a food processor, pulse together the flour, salt and sugar. Add the butter and shortening, pulsing until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With processor running, add the cold water/vodka mixture 1 tablespoon at a time, just until the mixture just barely starts to clump together (probably will need only 3-4 Tbsp of liquid). Test the dough with your fingers after adding each tablespoon - the dough should be crumbly, but hold together when pressed together.

Remove the dough and shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30-60 minutes. Remove from fridge and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes (this cooling and resting are allowing all the liquids in the dough to evenly absorb into the flours, which will produce a flaky crust).

Place dough on a floured piece of waxed paper (or silicone baking mat), sprinkle some flour on top of your dough, then top with another piece of waxed paper.  Once you have rolled it to the desired thickness, peel off the top layer of waxed paper. If the surface is sticky, rub some flour over the surface until its smooth. Invert the crust into a greased pie plate, then peel off the last layer of waxed paper (or silicon baking mat). Again, dust the surface with flour if its sticky. Press into the plate, trim edges (or leave to create a ‘rustic’ crust that you just fold over), and pinch to create a fluted edge.

Place pie crust (in pie plate) in freezer for 30 minutes.

Remove from freezer. If desired, brush an egg wash (1 egg + 1 Tbsp water) or milk/milk alternative onto crust edges for a golden brown finish.

To bake an empty pie shell: bake at 375°F for 20-30 minutes, until just starts to turn golden.

For a double pie crust: This recipe makes 1 pie crust. For a two-crust pie, double the recipe, and remember for fruit pies to cut small slits in the center of the top crust to allow the hot steam to escape. For a nicely browned top crust, remember to brush the crust with an egg wash (or milk) and sprinkle with some sugar.

FAQ: Is Vodka Safe to Drink? Any alcohol that is distilled is gluten-free. Gluten cannot pass through the distilling process. If you are still concerned, there are several brands of vodka that are made from corn, potatoes and grapes.
FAQ: Why Use Vodka in Pastry? Too much liquid in a pie crust will make it heavy and very dense. It's such a fine balance though, since you need the liquids to combine the dry ingredients together. The vodka adds to the liquid amount needed to get the dough to form a ball that can be rolled out. But during the baking, ALL the vodka gets evaporated out (since its an alcohol)- so you are in fact removing half the liquids. This makes a drier, lighter, and much much flakier crust. Gluten-free baking needs all the help it can to produce similar results, and this is one way that really does help make this pie crust just a delicious as a normal (gluten) one!
-Glutenfreeclub.com