ISO: ISO Okay, getting panicky - what should I add if when rolling my pie crust, it's cracking all apart?

In Search Of:
D

dawnnys

Well-known member
P.S. Managed to help it out a little - I added a little more butter and a tsp of cold water until it was rollable... I was afraid that with addition of more water mixed with the flour on the board, it would be tough (flour + water = glue), but maybe the fat content will help prevent that.

I like the oil-based crust because, as a home-ec teacher once told me, it's more tender and melt-in-your-mouth; the ones with butter or Crisco make the crust rise so they're flakey and crisp. I like moist and tender better. Plus, I use canola oil so it's a healthier fat.

So... how, in the future, can I avoid this happening again? Longer rest time, warmer dough? Colder dough? Less flour?

---

'Decided to make the apple pie after all, this morning (dinner is at 4pm). The crust, as I'm rolling it out, looks more like the topping for Dutch apple pie. Hey, now there's an idea! I used the following recipe for the pie crust, and have mad it a zillion times with no problem until today:

2+ cups AP flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup oil

1/4 milk

Mixed together, and it looked a little wet, so I added a little more flour. Stuck it in the refrigerator for about an hour and am now rolling it out, and it's very dry and cracking apart. Not sure if I should add more milk/water or more fat (butter).

Thanks

 
am I the only who thinks liquid oil wouldn't work in pie crust? keep re-reading this Dawn and it

seems to always stick out as curious.

 
Oh yes, it is a very good recipe, when done right. The most tender crust I've

ever made... but just not this time. I could tell when I was rolling it out that it would be bad. It came together fine at first, in the bowl, but when I went to roll it ou, it fell apart and crumbled and there was no rolling it out.

I tried to knead it in, hoping the dry pieces would blend together with the fat, but nothing worked. In fact, I think the more I kneaded it, the tougher it got. When I added the water, the texture was ok, but then I'd already overworked the gluten and it was tough, just as I though.

So... next time, what should I do to prevent that? Any suggestions? Other than order one from the bakery the day before? ;o)

The rest of the day went well adn it was a nice time. Thanks for the suggestions, and I hope you all had a good one too.

 
live and learn. thanks for the info as I never would have thought to try it smileys/smile.gif

 
Dawn - I think that you've used the recipe successfully so many times, that

this was just one of those cases where it did not work. The differences in air humidity from day to day can affect how much liquid and fat the flour can absorb.

You mentioned you added more flour after first mixing it, because it seemed wet. Perhaps waiting after it rests to add more flour might work better.

 
It probably coulda used more liquid BEFORE chilling....

I use an all butter recipe, but my pie crust epiphany came when I added more water.

It's hard to add butter or liquid after the dough is chilled, so you really should try to get the bext dough texture before you chill.

Here's how I make my crust:

Mix the dry ingredients, then cut in the butter. I get the best texture if I do it by hand, and cut the butter by rubbing my thumb against the other finger tips (think of the "show me the money" motion. That way, I get flat flakes of butter, not round peas.) Keep tossing the flakes with the flour, so all the flakes are coated as you do this.

Then sprinkle most of the liquid, and fold it into the flour mixture, using a silicone spatula in one hand, and your fingers of the other hand. Don't squish the dough together, just keep tossing until the liquid is well distributed. There may be a few dry crumbs at the bottom of the bowl, but it's okay.

If you're making the oil dough, you can skip the above, but here's the trick to test if you have enough liquid:

Scoop up some of the dough in one hand. Squeeze it together, then roll your thumb over it (the "money" motion again). If it crumbles, your dough's too dry and you need to add more liquid. If it rolls like a sugar cookie dough, you're good.

Dump out the crumbs (it'll kinda look like a streusel, but it's fine) onto a piece of plastic wrap, and gather up the corners, to form a disk. Pat together to a round 3/4" thick disk, making sure the edges are well formed, otherwise it'll crack when you try to roll it.

Hope this helps with your next pie!

 
Sandi, this is a most excellent explanation of how to use the fingertips to

cut in the flour. I've never understood how that was done and the "show me the money" gesture makes perfect sense to me.

I made the pie crust from the Sugar and Spice Pie in the November issue of Fine Cooking. It has weight measurements for the flour and butter and uses the food processor. I tried to follow the directions precisely and still ended up with a pie crust that seems a little tough. I think the problem was I was so afraid I'd overmix that I undermixed, leaving the butter in too large of pieces. I so seldom bake any more, but pie crust was never my strong suit. I've never tried the finger tip method, but you explained it so well, I just might. Thanks.

 
Sandi - this is a fantastic primer on pie crust making - could you post it in the Kitchen Tips...

pretty please with streusal on top? smileys/smile.gif

 
Okay, posted in KT, with these additional instructions on how to roll...

After chilling your dough for at least an hour, you are ready to roll. Take the dough out of the fridge, and let it sit for about 5 minutes to soften just a touch.

Unwrap the dough package, smoothing out the plastic wrap. If your plastic wrap is a square, center the dough on the square. Fold each corner in diagonally, leaving an inch around the edge of the dough. If you've done this correctly, you should have a plastic square that's bigger than your dough round, but all the edges should be a fold.

Get your rolling pin, and push it down in the middle of your dough. Not too hard - just enough to make an indentation. Do this two more times, so that you have three little troughs. Turn the dough 90º, and make three more troughs. This will enlarge your dough a little, plus it'll soften the dough up so you can start to roll.

Roll the dough, still in the plastic, turning a little each time, until the dough is as big as your plastic wrap.

By leaving the dough in the plastic wrap, you use the folds to contain the edge of the dough, so even if it starts to crack, it'll seal back up, since it's contained in the plastic.

THEN unwrap the dough from the plastic, and place it on a floured surface, flour the top, and roll away, until it's big enough for your pie pan.

 
I get better control if I use my hands instead of the food processor....

The food processor goes so fast, you have to use the pulse button; otherwise the butter will be too small. If it's too large, it'll melt by itself when baking, leaving a oily hole in your crust.

Plus, I think the flat flakes of butter made by hand make a flakier crust than the round peas made by the processor.

I use cold butter straight from the fridge. Cut it into thin pats, then toss it into the flour. If your pats are kinda fat, squish it, then do the "money" motion.

It's so hard to write this down - it takes much longer to write or read this than it does to actually DO it!!!

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top