Had to choose between butter and shortening for pie crust, picked wrong

I was making apple pies for a family gathering last weekend and got into a debate with myself over using butter versus shortening. Butter gives that great flavor but I've heard shortening makes the crust flakier and more stable. I went with all butter because I thought taste would win everyone over. Well, the crust tasted amazing but it slumped in the pan and the edges crumbled when I tried to cut slices. My sister-in-law said it looked like a disaster but tasted fine, which isn't exactly a win. Meanwhile my neighbor used half shortening and her pie held up perfectly. Has anyone else found a good ratio for mixing them that actually works?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_kim4d ago

Is it just me or does this whole situation kinda sum up how we treat shortcuts in cooking? We think the easy choice like all butter will be the best one but then we get a lesson in why old school bakers used actual lard. I did half butter and half Crisco once and it came out decent but I still got some slumping because I didn't chill the dough enough. What happened when you let your dough rest before rolling it out?

drew554d ago

@the_kim taught me half shortening is Actually the way to go.

danielkim4d ago

Half shortening is a weird middle ground where you don't really get the full flavor of butter or the full flakiness of lard. I've tried it a few times and honestly the texture always comes out a bit meh compared to straight lard or all-butter. For me, if I'm going through the trouble of making pastry, I'd rather pick one fat and do it right than split the difference. But I do think chilling the dough hard is the real secret no matter what you use (like 30 minutes in the freezer minimum).