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Appreciation post: My grandma's butter vs. margarine rule for pie crust
When I first started baking, my grandma told me I had to pick between using cold butter or margarine for a flaky crust. She said 'real butter makes the layers, margarine makes a mess' and gave me her old pastry cutter. I tried margarine once in college because it was cheaper, and the crust came out like a soggy cracker. Now I always use her method with two sticks of cold butter, and my apple pie wins every family dinner. Anyone have a different trick that works just as well?
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faith_palmer5124d ago
Your grandma was totally right about butter. What about using a mix of butter and shortening? I tried that once because my mom swore by it, but honestly it just made the crust taste kind of bland. Nothing beats the flavor of all butter, and the texture is perfect when you keep everything cold. I even put my flour in the freezer for a bit before I start.
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singh.uma23d ago
My aunt in Wisconsin always used half butter and half lard for her pie crusts, and it was the flakiest thing I've ever tasted. I tried the butter-shortening mix too and got the same bland result you did, like something was missing. Now I stick with all butter and chill the whole bowl in the fridge for twenty minutes before I even touch it. Do you find that using a food processor makes the dough too warm?
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johnthompson5d ago
Oh man, your grandma nailed it. I tried the butter and shortening combo once and it was just sad, like eating flavorless cardboard. Now I'm all about freezing the butter and grating it right into the flour, which feels a little crazy but works every time.
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