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Just realized I was overworking my pie dough for years
I used to mix it by hand until it was one smooth ball, which always gave me a tough crust. About six months ago, I watched a baker in Tucson just barely bring the dough together with visible butter chunks. Tried it and my next apple pie was so flaky it shattered. Has anyone else made a switch like that with a basic technique?
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abby_black4mo ago
My mom always taught me to work the dough until it was smooth... I thought that was the only way. Seeing those butter chunks felt wrong, but the flaky layers were a total game changer. Now I stop mixing as soon as it looks shaggy and barely holds together.
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the_charlie4mo ago
Honestly it's wild how much baking is about fighting your instincts. You see lumps and think "fix it" but the magic happens when you leave it broken.
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tarar274mo ago
That first time I made croissants I overworked the dough into a tough, sad mess because I thought it needed to look perfect. Your post finally clicked for me last weekend when I deliberately stopped mixing a pie crust while it still looked like a disaster. In my experience trusting the broken lumps actually gave me the flakiest result I've ever gotten, and I'm a convert now.
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