26
That choice between butter and shortening for pie crust still haunts me
Last weekend I had to pick between all-butter or butter-shortening blend for my apple pie. I went full butter because everyone raves about the flavor, but my crust came out flat and greasy at a 400 degree bake. Now I'm sitting here wondering if the shortening wouldve given me those flaky layers I was after. Anyone else fight this battle and find a ratio that actually works?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
pat7811mo ago
And yeah @shane_hayes totally right, I read somewhere butter alone just can't handle high heat like that lol.
7
laura_chen411mo ago
Actually the problem isn't really butter not handling high heat. Butter can handle 400 just fine, the issue is the water content. Butter is about 15-20% water, and when that water turns to steam in the oven it messes with the crust structure. Shortening has zero water so it gives you a more stable texture. That 60/40 split is the way to go, but really the key is keeping everything cold regardless of what fat you use.
0
shane_hayes1mo ago
Wait, you seriously baked a full butter pie crust at 400 without any shortening? That's wild to me (no offense). I've made that exact mistake before and ended up with a crust that looked like a greasy cookie. For my apple pies I do a 60/40 split, 60% butter for taste and 40% shortening for that flaky lift. The butter gives you the flavor but the shortening keeps everything from melting into a puddle at high heat. You gotta keep everything ice cold too, like pop your flour and fat in the freezer for 10 minutes before cutting it in.
1