A mixture of half butter and half shortening, along with a splash of vinegar, make this pie crust perfectly tender, flaky, and delicious.
Yesterday we examined the difference between butter and shortening in pie crust. Can anyone tell me what we learned?
Anyone? Anyone?
(Name that movie.)
Ok, let’s recap: Because shortening is 100% fat, it makes pie crust tender. Because butter is about 20% water, it releases steam as it bakes, making pie crust flaky. Use all shortening and you will have a much harder time achieving a flaky crust. Use all butter and your dough will be much trickier to work with.
Now, what was our solution?
Anyone? Anyone?
That’s right: Use half butter and half shortening to make our crusts tender, flaky, and delicious! You get a gold star on your chart. A+.