I finally figured out why my grandma's pie crust never worked for me

I spent like 10 years trying to make her apple pie and it always came out tough. Last Thanksgiving my aunt saw me working the dough and just goes "you're overworking it, stop treating it like bread dough." Turns out I was kneading it way too much, all those years I thought you had to really work it to get it flaky. Anyone else have a "duh" moment with a family recipe that took way too long to figure out?

2 comments

2 Comments

hannah_wright16h agoTop Commenter

Oh man, that's such a classic thing! My friend Jenna had pretty much the exact same problem with her mom's biscuit recipe. She tried for years to get them fluffy and they always came out like hockey pucks. Her mom finally watched her one weekend and just started laughing. Turns out she was rolling the dough out with a wine bottle because she couldn't find her rolling pin and was putting way too much pressure on it. Also she was cutting the biscuits with a dull glass so it was smashing the edges instead of slicing clean through. Her mom showed her how to pat the dough gently with her hands and use a sharp cutter and now her biscuits are actually really good. It's funny how the smallest things can mess up a recipe that's been passed down for generations.

terry_barnes12h ago

@hannah_wright yes, the dull cutter is a killer... I had the same problem with my grandmother's drop biscuit recipe until I realized I was twisting the cutter instead of just pressing straight down. That twist seals the edges and they won't rise right. Also found out I was overworking the dough by kneading it too much... you really just want to bring it together until it barely holds, then pat it out with floured hands. A sharp biscuit cutter and a light touch changed everything for me.