That 'just use butter instead of shortening' advice ruined my pie crust for 2 years

I kept seeing people online saying butter makes a flakier crust, so I switched completely. Every pie I made tasted good but came out flat and greasy, no matter how cold I kept everything. Last month I finally tried a 50/50 mix of butter and shortening from an old cookbook my grandma left me. The crust actually held its shape and had those big flaky layers I was chasing. Has anyone else found that the internet's 'simple swap' advice backfires like this with baking?

3 comments

3 Comments

val_shah5d ago

Internet shortcuts never work as well as the old ways.

simonk985d agoOG Member

Yeah I had almost the same experience. I spent a year trying to get an all butter pie crust to work and it always came out dense and soaked through the bottom. Then I tried a recipe that uses half lard and half butter and that was the game changer. The lard gives you that sturdy structure and the butter brings the flavor. Have you tried chilling your flour in the freezer for a bit before cutting in the fats?

nathankim5d ago

Gotta disagree though, all-butter crusts WORK if you handle the dough correctly and don't overwork it. I've been doing straight butter for years and my pies come out tall and flaky every time, you just have to accept they won't look as "perfect" as shortening crusts.