I just realized I've been overworking my pie dough for years

For the longest time, I'd mix my butter and flour by hand until it looked like fine sand, which took maybe 5 minutes of rubbing. Then I watched a baker from a shop in Chicago do a demo where she left visible pea-sized chunks of butter. I tried it last month, and the flakiness in my crust is insane now. It feels wrong to stop mixing when it still looks shaggy, but the steam from those butter bits makes all the difference. Anyone else have to fight the urge to keep working their dough?

2 comments

2 Comments

jason_robinson3d ago

Ever think we overwork dough because it feels more like real work that way?

sagesingh3d ago

You might be onto something. We get stuck on kneading when sometimes the dough just needs a rest.