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I finally figured out why my pie crusts keep shrinking
After a dozen failed attempts over the past 2 months, I realized I was overworking the dough. I read somewhere that gluten develops too much if you handle it more than 10 seconds after adding water. I tested it last Saturday with a pumpkin pie for our church potluck in Springfield, and the crust held its shape perfectly for the first time. Has anyone else dealt with shrinking crusts from mixing too long?
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nina1472d ago
Oh man, I've totally been there with the shrinking crust! In my experience, it's not just about time but also the temperature of your ingredients. I started using ice-cold butter and even chilling my flour and bowl before mixing, and that made a huge difference for me. The cold fat creates little steam pockets that help the crust hold its shape better. Also, make sure your oven is actually at the temp you set it to; an oven thermometer saved my baking more times than I can count.
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