TIL the old baker at a shop in Ann Arbor cuts his butter into the flour with a cheese grater and his pie crust changed my whole week

Avery Fox · 2026-09-15T16:20:07.694669+00:00

I was waiting on a loaf at a small bakery in Ann Arbor last month and watched this guy grate frozen butter straight into his flour bowl instead of cubing it up. I asked him about it and he said it takes him about 2 minutes for a double crust and he never gets those big butter pockets that leak. I tried it at home on Saturday with a frozen stick and a box grater and my crust came out way flakier than my usual cube and smash method. The butter stays cold the whole time because your hands never touch it, which is the part I always mess up. I did have to toss the grated butter with the flour fast before it warmed up on the counter. Has anyone else tried grating butter for biscuits or scones, and does it work as well as it did for my pie?

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TIL the old baker at a shop in Ann Arbor cuts his butter into the flour with a cheese grater and his pie crust changed my whole week | Bakers - Guest Forum