My mentor told me my pie crust was too tough and I had to change my butter method

I always used cold butter straight from the fridge, cutting it into the flour until it looked like coarse meal. An old baker at the county fair said my crust came out tough because I was overworking the butter into too-small pieces. She told me to leave some butter chunks the size of peas and handle the dough way less. I tried it on my next apple pie and the crust came out flaky for the first time. Anyone else have a small tweak like that totally change their baking game?

2 comments

2 Comments

alice33614d ago

Thing people don't talk about enough is the fat temperature mid-mix. Cold butter is great but your hands warm it up fast. I started chilling my flour and bowl in the freezer for ten minutes before I start. Keeps everything cold longer. Also switched to a pastry blender instead of a fork. Less heat transfer from my hands. Made a huge difference.

claire_wells8714d ago

YES the pastry blender is a game changer!! I felt so dumb for not getting one sooner. I used to just use two knives and my butter would get all smeary by the end. And you're so right about the hands thing - I didn't even realize how much warmth I was transferring until I tried the freezer trick. Now I keep a little bowl of ice water next to my station too. Dip my fingertips in between mixing to keep them cold. Sounds extra but it really helps keep those butter chunks intact.