What is better for pie crust butter or shortening?

What is better for pie crust butter or shortening?

Butter. Last but certainly not least, there is butter, my first choice of fat for all pies. The pros: Butter has the best flavor and it forms light, lofty, flaky layers in pie crust. … (For comparison, butter is usually about 80-85% fat, 15-20% water, whereas shortening is 100% fat.)

Why does my bottom pie crust not cook?

If the rest of the pie was done, there are two things you could try. First, you could try baking the pies in the lower third of the oven. Second, you could brush the bottom crust with beaten egg before adding your fruit. This seals the crust and helps keep the crust from getting soggy from the filling.

What is wrong with my pie crust?

If your pie dough breaks and crumbles when you try to roll it out, it's probably too dry. … Just sprinkle some cold water over the dough with your fingers and work it in—gently! —until the dough comes together. If your dough gets too warm, send it back into the fridge to chill out.

Why do you put vinegar in pie crust?

One ingredient that you can add to a pie crust that is a little more unusual is vinegar. Vinegar helps tenderize pie dough because it slightly inhibits gluten development, leading to a crust that is flakier and easier to work with.

What happens if you dont Chill pie crust?

A. There's no need to chill a pie crust for three hours. It's not a food safety issue, but the dough need to be chilled so the fat is firm, not liquid, when it goes into the hot oven; it's the quick melting of the fat that creates the flaky crust.

What is the best type of flour to use for pie crust?

Flour: For a tender crust, choose a low-protein flour. Pastry flour, with a protein content of about 8-10%, ranks between all-purpose flour and cake flour. All-purpose flour works just fine for pie crusts, while cake flour might lack enough protein to form a workable, elastic dough.

What does adding vodka to pie crust do?

Unlike water, alcohol does not contribute to the formation of gluten, the network of proteins that can cause a crust to turn leathery. Because the alcohol burns off quickly in the oven, drying out the crust, we could add enough vodka to keep the dough wet and extremely supple.

How do you make pie crust taste better?

Feel free to add a bit of spice according to what kind of pie you're making to bump up the flavor even more. Brushing a bit of melted butter on the rolled crusts can give a nice richness if that's what you're after. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cookies and the sugar and cinnamon, if using.

Can you overwork pie crust?

In pie crust, you don't want gluten to form so you don't want to mix too much and overwork the dough. … The little chunks of cold butter create the layers in the dough so that when the butter melts in the oven, it will make steam pockets. Your crust will end up with a wonderfully flaky texture.

How do you brown the bottom of a pie crust?

Coating the surface of the bottom crust will create a barrier to prevent sogginess. Adding a layer of corn syrup or a slightly beaten egg white before pouring in the filling will form a seal between the pie dough and the filling and will help make the crust crisp and flaky.

Can you use butter instead of Crisco for pie crust?

Cold Butter – make sure your butter is rock solid cold, and use real butter (not margarine or low-fat). Shortening – you can use Crisco or lard if you want. Ice Water – keep it cold! Flour – I always use all purpose flour for my pie crusts.

What happens if you don’t Blind Bake pastry?

So, you can without problem cook your quiche without first blind-baking the crust. The difference will be in the crispness of the crust: if you try to get it crispy, you should prebake, if you don't mind it being rather, well, “plain”, you don't.

Can you Refrigerate pie dough overnight?

Wrap them well and place in the refrigerator to rest for at least an hour before you roll them out. You can also leave them refrigerated overnight or you can roll them out, line pie pans with them and freeze the whole pie-crust-lined pie pan for later use!

Should pie dough be chilled before rolling?

Chill the dough before you roll it out for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days. Again, on a very hot day, you may want to put the dough in the freezer for about 10 minutes just before you start to roll it out.

How do you fix overworked pie crust?

This is a relatively easy fix. Just sprinkle some cold water over the dough with your fingers and work it in—gently! —until the dough comes together. If your dough gets too warm, send it back into the fridge to chill out.

How do you chill a pie crust quickly?

Chill the dough before you roll it out for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days. Again, on a very hot day, you may want to put the dough in the freezer for about 10 minutes just before you start to roll it out.

Why does my pie dough crack?

Dough was too cold or not kneaded enough, making the edges of the dough disk ragged and dry. Also, the dough may not have rested enough to allow the flour to hydrate evenly. If there are many cracks and the edges seem dry, gather the dough into a ball.

What happens when pie dough is Rerolled?

If your pie crust is tough instead of tender and flaky, you probably either overworked the dough or added too much water to it. There's not much to do in this situation but plate up a slice and throw on a scoop of ice cream.

Does lard make the best pie crust?

Lard: If it doesn't make you squeamish, lard makes an incredible pastry crust. … With less chance of overmixing and/or melting the fat, you're better ensured flaky layers in your crust. However, while it's the ideal ingredient from a texture perspective, it lacks the flavor of butter.

Will undercooked pie crust make you sick?

coli, Salmonella and Listeria, eating uncooked dough or batter, whether for bread, cookies, pie crust, pizza and tortillas can cause illness.”