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I finally chose butter over shortening for my pie crust
I had to make a choice for a big family Thanksgiving last month - use my grandma's shortening recipe or switch to all butter. I went with butter because I wanted that flaky texture everyone talks about. The crust came out golden and tasted GREAT but it was a PAIN to keep cold while rolling. Has anyone else had trouble with butter crusts falling apart on you?
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stella_scott961mo agoMost Upvoted
Americas Test Kitchen did a whole thing on this and they say the trick is to grate frozen butter into your flour instead of cutting it in. Made a huge difference for me with keeping it together lol.
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the_holly1mo ago
Butter crusts are worth the hassle though.
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avery_flores1mo ago
You said "butter crusts are worth the hassle though" and I think that's true for some things but not everything. I read somewhere that a lot of home bakers swear by shortening for pie crusts because it makes them flakier without the butter taste getting in the way. For me, butter is the way to go if I'm making a fruit pie where I want that rich flavor to show through. But for a quiche or a pot pie, I've heard using half butter and half lard gives you the best texture without being too much work. I guess it depends on what you're making, @the_holly.
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quinn16116d ago
Stella's tip about frozen butter is a GAME CHANGER, I started doing that last year and my crusts finally stopped shrinking. But @the_holly is right that butter takes more effort because you have to keep everything cold the whole time or it turns into a mess. For a quiche I actually go full lard because you don't want that butter flavor competing with the eggs and cheese. The half and half approach works great for pot pies since the lard gives you that flaky layer without making it taste like a diner pie.
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