My aunt told me my pie crust was tough as leather - she was right

She pulled me aside after Thanksgiving dinner last year and said my crust was overworked. I was kneading that dough forever trying to get it smooth. Now I stop mixing as soon as the flour is barely combined and my pies at the county fair in Des Moines actually won second place this summer. Anyone else get a blunt family member who ended up helping them improve?

2 comments

2 Comments

hill.jade19d ago

The overworking thing is real. I used to worry my crust would fall apart so I'd just keep pressing and rolling it until the butter was totally melted into the flour. Now I leave visible chunks of butter in there and barely press it together before wrapping it up for the fridge. That cold rest time does way more work than any kneading ever could. Your county fair win proves the less you touch it the better it gets.

allen.amy19d ago

I actually read this thing from an old baker who said the secret to a good crust is to treat the dough like you're almost scared of it. Like handle it just enough to get it together and then walk away. Makes so much sense now seeing how it works for you. The butter chunks are what create those flaky layers when they steam up in the oven, if you melt them all in you lose that. Letting the fridge do the resting is the real magic trick nobody tells you about.