What is the ideal ratio of flour to shortening in pastry?

What is the ideal ratio of flour to shortening in pastry?

The most flaky, tender crust comes down to a simple 3:2:1 ratio of ingredients—flour, fat, water— no actual recipe needed.

What are the pros and cons of using shortening When making pie dough?

1. Lard

• The pros: Lard produces an extremely crisp, flaky crust.
• The cons: Good quality rendered leaf lard is hard to find.
• The pros: Shortening has a higher melting point than lard or butter, so it’s easy to incorporate into pie dough and roll out.

Can you substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour in pie crust?

Flour: For a tender crust, choose a low-protein flour. Pastry flour, with a protein content of about 8-10%, ranks between all-purpose flour and cake flour. All-purpose flour works just fine for pie crusts, while cake flour might lack enough protein to form a workable, elastic dough.

Do you need shortening for pie crust?

The Theory: Conventional wisdom states that for a crust with the best flavor, you want to use all butter. But for a crust that’s easier to work with and comes out more tender and flaky, you need to cut it with a softer fat like shortening or lard.

How thick should Pastry be for a pie?

The dough should be 1/8″ thick and 1″ wider than the pie plate. Here’s a pro tip on measuring the dough’s thickness: stack two quarters next to the dough. That heigh is roughly equivalent to 1/8 of an inch, the Epi Test Kitchen’s recommended thickness for pie dough.

What causes a tough pie crust?

Your crust is too tough. If your pie crust is tough instead of tender and flaky, you probably either overworked the dough or added too much water to it. There’s not much to do in this situation but plate up a slice and throw on a scoop of ice cream. Don’t sweat it: You’ll do better next time.

How bad is Crisco shortening for you?

Crisco and other partially hydrogenated vegetable shortenings were later found to have their own health issues, most notably trans fats, which were found to contribute as much to heart disease as saturated fats.

Why is lard better than shortening for pie crust?

Lard: If it doesn’t make you squeamish, lard makes an incredible pastry crust. It chills nicely and doesn’t break down under heat as quickly as butter. This makes for a relatively flaky crust if handled properly. While it’s not as tasty as butter, it’s flavor is still less bland than shortening or oil.

Which flour is best for pies?

All-purpose flour is the highest recommended flour for most pie crust endeavors. What you really need to know is that the flour needs to be a low-protein flour, meaning that the flour has a protein content that falls into about 8-10%.

Why is my pie crust falling apart?

If your pie dough breaks and crumbles when you try to roll it out, it’s probably too dry. This is a relatively easy fix. Just sprinkle some cold water over the dough with your fingers and work it in—gently! If your dough gets too warm, send it back into the fridge to chill out.

Why does my pie crust crack when I roll it out?

Chilled pie dough cracks when rolled out Dough was too cold or not kneaded enough, making the edges of the dough disk ragged and dry. Also, the dough may not have rested enough to allow the flour to hydrate evenly. If there are many cracks and the edges seem dry, gather the dough into a ball.

Should pie dough be chilled before rolling?

Cover the pie dough with plastic wrap and chill at least 30 minutes before rolling it out. This lets the liquid absorb into the dough, firms the fat and allows the gluten to relax.

What kind of flour do you use to make pie crust?

Pastry flour with a protein content of about 8 to 10% is ideal for pie crust. This positions it between all-purpose flour and cake flour. Pie crust is normally made with all-purpose flour, but not all all-purpose flours are created equal.

What’s the ratio of flour to butter for pie dough?

By way of example, Ruhlman explains his method: 1 12 ounces flour 2 8 ounces butter (2 sticks) 3 4 ounces cold water

What’s the best way to cut shortening into flour?

Use two table knives if you do not have a pastry blender. Hold a knife in each hand and make slicing motions into the flour/shortening mixture. Continue cutting until the dough appears crumbly. Mix the dough mixture gently using your fingers as an alternate way to cut the shortening into the flour.

Why do we use both shortening and butter in pie crust?

Tip: Why do we use both shortening and butter in pie crust? Shortening, thanks to its relatively high melting point, helps crust maintain its structure, preventing your pretty crimp or other decorative touches from collapsing as the pie bakes. (If you prefer not to use vegetable shortening, try our All-Butter Pie Crust .)