Just realized I was overmixing my pie dough for years

I've been baking pies for over a decade and always wondered why my crust came out tough. Last Thanksgiving, my sister-in-law who works at a bakery in Portland watched me make one and asked why I was working the dough so much. She said I was making it worse by treating it like bread dough. I had no idea you're supposed to stop mixing as soon as the butter pieces are the size of peas, not smooth. I tried her method on a simple apple pie last week and the crust actually flaked when I cut into it. Now I'm second-guessing every other technique I thought I knew. Any other common mistakes that I might be missing?

3 comments

3 Comments

drew9653d ago

my crust came out tough" story of my life man. I did the same thing for years it's infuriating.

phoenix_carter2d ago

Jump on that temp drop wyatt mentioned, @drew965 - knocking it down 25 degrees was the game changer for me too, gives the inside time to catch up without the outside turning into a hockey puck.

wyatt523d agoProlific Poster

Man @drew965 I feel your pain so hard. The trick that finally fixed it for me was letting the dough rest longer after mixing, like a full 30 minutes before I even touched it. Also, if you're using a recipe with too much water, that can make the outside set up way too fast while the inside still needs more time. Try dropping your oven temp by like 25 degrees too, it gives the crust a better chance to cook through before it burns.