Grandma's apple pie almost ended my Thanksgiving - the crust disaster

So last Thanksgiving I decided to make my grandmother's famous apple pie for the first time. I was in my tiny kitchen in Portland, feeling pretty confident after watching her do it a hundred times. Everything was going fine until I tried to roll out the dough... it just crumbled into pieces. Like literal floury chunks all over the counter. I panicked for a solid ten minutes, then remembered my aunt once said to add an extra egg yolk if it's too dry. I scrambled an egg, separated the yolk, and kneaded it right into that mess. It came together but the crust looked like a puzzle with all my patch jobs. After baking it somehow tasted exactly like her pie - all golden and flaky. Has anyone else had a family recipe just fall apart on them and had to MacGyver it back together?

2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

2 Comments

lisa8204mo ago

Oh man, I've totally been there with crumbly pie dough! For a quick fix, try adding a tablespoon of ice water first before the egg yolk, it keeps the crust tender instead of tough.

5

the_reese4mo ago

What was the actual baking temperature and time you used? I've salvaged a few dry doughs in my day but the patchwork usually gives you a tough, uneven crust no matter how good it tastes. Did your grandmother bake it hot and fast or low and slow? That might be the trick that saved you.

1