A simple trick for better pie crusts I learned from a baker in Portland

I kept seeing people add ice water to their pie dough all at once, which makes it tough. A baker I worked with in Portland showed me to sprinkle it in slowly, just a tablespoon at a time, while mixing. You stop as soon as the dough just comes together, which for me is usually after about 5 tablespoons. This keeps the fat cold and the crust flaky. Does anyone have a different method for getting that perfect texture?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_logan22d agoTop Commenter

My last pie crust was basically a hockey puck.

rosew3722d ago

Yeah, I was reading that too much handling makes pie crust tough. Like if you work the dough a lot after adding water, it gets overdeveloped and bakes up hard. I saw a tip to mix it just until it comes together, even if it looks a little shaggy. Also, using really cold butter and water helps keep things flaky. Rolling it out too thin might be part of it as well, that can make it dense.