That one piece of feedback that fixed my pie crusts for good

Got told my pastry was tough by my aunt after Thanksgiving dinner three years ago. She said I was overworking the dough and the gluten was getting too activated. So I switched to cutting the butter into bigger chunks and only mixing until just combined. Now my crusts actually flake like they should. Anyone else get a random critique that turned out to be exactly right?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona_johnson822d agoMost Upvoted

Honestly, that aunt comment hits home. I got told my pie crusts were "sad" by my mom once and it stung but she was right. The thing that fixed it for me was switching to ice cold vodka as part of the liquid. Vodka doesn't develop gluten like water does so you can actually mix it a bit more without getting a tough crust. I do half vodka half ice water and the difference is wild. Your crust still bakes up flaky and tender but you've got way more room for error before it goes tough. Just don't skip the chilling step afterwards.

ivanlewis2d ago

Yeah the vodka trick is a game changer right? I started doing it a few years back after seeing it on some cooking show and now I won't go back. Makes handling the dough so much less stressful, and nobody can tell the difference in the final taste.