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My mom told me my pie crust was like cardboard and I finally listened | Baking Fails And Wins - Librear

My mom told me my pie crust was like cardboard and I finally listened

For years, I made pie crust the way my old recipe card said: just flour, salt, shortening, and ice water. It always came out tough and kind of dry. My mom tried a slice of my apple pie last Thanksgiving and just said, 'Honey, this crust is like eating cardboard.' It stung, but she was right. She told me the secret was using half butter and half shortening, and to not work the dough so much. I tried it her way for a blueberry pie last week, and it was a total win. The crust was flaky and actually had flavor. I was over-mixing and using the wrong fats. Has anyone else had a simple piece of advice completely turn a recipe around for them?

3 comments

3 Comments

troy9776mo ago

Honestly, my grandma used to say the same thing about overworking dough, she called it "giving it a nervous breakdown." Tbh I had the opposite problem with biscuits, I was too scared to mix them at all and they'd just crumble apart. Ngl it took me forever to find that middle ground where things actually hold together but stay soft. Funny how those little tips from older cooks just fix everything.

raymartin6mo ago

Yeah that "nervous breakdown" line from your grandma is perfect, troy977. Reminds me of my uncle who would yell "you're beating the life out of it!" if you mixed cake batter more than three times. Those old sayings stick with you way better than any recipe note. I still hear his voice every time I bake now.

mia_scott775mo ago

Actually, the crumbly biscuit problem often comes from using cold butter. If it's too hard, it won't blend into the flour enough to create those little pockets that steam and rise. Letting it soften just a bit before cutting it in can make a world of difference for getting that tender structure without having to overmix.