VODKA: Vodka is essential to the texture of the crust and imparts no flavor—do not substitute! ... ROLLING OUT: 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). ... WHY THIS WORKS: Since water bonds with flour to form gluten, too much of it makes a crust tough. But rolling out dry dough is difficult. For a pie dough recipe that baked up tender and flaky and rolled out easily every time, we found a magic ingredient: vodka. Using vodka, which is just 60 percent water, gave us an easy-to-roll crust with less gluten and no alcohol flavor, since the alcohol vaporizes in the oven. ... ***NOTE*** This is for a single blind-baked crust, meaning the bottom crust is baked before the pie is filled.