I always thought cold butter was better for pie crust until last weekend

I've been making pie crust for like 10 years and always used ice cold butter straight from the fridge. My neighbor June showed up for our baking swap with her crust and it was flaky as heck. She told me she lets her butter sit out for 15 minutes before cutting it in. Tried it Sunday with a cherry pie and the crust came out way more tender and less tough. Has anyone else had luck with slightly softened butter or am I late to the party?

2 comments

2 Comments

evan_stone9d ago

You said "she lets her butter sit out for 15 minutes before cutting it in" and that clicked for me. It's like how you learn that rushing things usually makes them worse, not better. I've noticed this pattern in a lot of stuff I do around the house, not just baking. Taking that extra little bit of time almost always pays off in the end, whether it's letting dough rest or even letting a pan heat up slow. Sometimes we get in such a hurry we miss the simple tricks that make everything work better. Good on you for trying June's advice and finding out it works.

phoenix_campbell889d ago

@evan_stone nailed it. People act like patience is just waiting around doing nothing, but it's really about giving things the space to work right. The butter thing is a perfect example, room temp butter mixes in way better than cold butter and you get a flakier crust without trying as hard. Same goes for letting meat rest before slicing or letting a cast iron pan heat up slowly. Rushing is usually just creating more work for yourself down the line.