Just found out butter temperature matters way more than I thought

I was reading this old baking blog from a lady in Vermont and she said that cold butter vs room temp butter in pie crusts changes the texture by like 40 percent. I always just used whatever butter I had sitting out without thinking about it. My last apple pie came out tough and now I wonder if that's why. Has anyone else tested this with different fats like shortening or lard?

2 comments

2 Comments

drew_grant5226d ago

Wait, you really thought butter temp didn't matter that much? That's like the number one thing in baking. Cold butter gives you those flaky layers, room temp blends in more and makes it tender. Your tough pie crust was definitely from using warm butter, it melted into the flour before it could create steam pockets. I've tested lard and shortening too, and they work the same way. Lard actually gives you the flakiest crust if you keep it cold, shortening is more forgiving but greasier. The Vermont lady was right, temp changes everything by like 30-40 percent easy.

angela19125d ago

No kidding? 30-40 percent is a huge difference, I had no idea butter temp could swing things that much.