What happens if you add too much fat to pie crust?

Your Fat Particles Are Too Big If the pieces are too large, the butter will melt and leave holes in the dough when you bake it.

Does fat make pie dough tough?

F Fat makes pie tough (tender) because it causes (inhibits) gluten development in flour.

What role does the fat plan in a pie crust?

The role of the fat in making a pastry is to give texture to the final product. Depending on the kind of fat used, the pastry will also have a certain flavor. Pastry chefs use various types of fats, like vegetable shortening, butter, or lard.

What happens if you over mix pie dough?

Over-processing at this point won’t ruin your dough but it will take you toward a crumbly, sandier dough. Leaving irregular pieces of butter in the mix will help create flaky layers during baking. Almost every pie dough recipe calls for too little liquid to bring it together.

How do I know if my pie crust is too wet?

A perfect pie dough walks a fine line between dry and moist. If you’re rolling it out and it’s sticking to your rolling pin like crazy, your dough has too much moisture.

What happens if you overwork pie dough?

Pie doughs fail when they come out tough, not tender and flaky. Usually due to overworking, this can happen either during the initial mixing or during rolling and shaping. Cold butter is a key to pie dough success. It should be straight-out-of-the-fridge-cold.

How does fat affect baking?

Fats have four main purposes in baking: They tenderize the product by coating and weakening the gluten bonds within the structure. Even though they contain little or no moisture, they provide the illusion of wetness. They help move heat through the product, perpetuating the baking process.

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.

Why did my pie crust shrink so much?

Probably the main reason that pie crusts shrink is because the dough is not given adequate time to “rest”. This resting time allows the gluten to literally relax at critical points in the pie dough process, and will play a big role in preventing shrinking once it is baked.

What happens to pie crust with too much water?

The Theory: Adding extra liquid to your pie dough can help it bind together better, making it less prone to cracking and softer when rolling. However, adding too much water can lead to too much gluten formation, which in turn leads to a leathery or tough crust.