My pie crust kept shrinking no matter what I tried

I spent about 6 months trying to figure out why my pie crusts would shrink down the sides of the pan every time I blind baked them. I tried colder butter, less water, even freezing the dough for an hour before baking. Turns out I was overworking the gluten by about 2 minutes of extra kneading. Once I stopped mixing as soon as the dough came together, it finally stayed put. Has anyone else fought with a simple fix for way too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

emery_white26d ago

Did you notice any difference in how the dough looked when you overworked it, like did it get shiny or start feeling tougher right before it came together? I've read about that telltale sign but never caught it myself in time. Also, are you still using the same flour brand, or did switching that up help at all?

the_richard26d ago

Oh man, yeah I totally missed that shiny look the first few times too. It's like the dough gets this weird almost waxy sheen on the surface right before it tightens up. I finally caught it on my third attempt when the dough felt kinda springy and resisted when I poked it. I actually switched to a local mill's bread flour last month and it's been night and day. The protein content is slightly lower so it gives me more time before everything goes wrong. But here's what I'm wondering - are you letting your dough rest enough between folds? I've noticed that when I rush the resting time, the dough turns into a sticky mess way faster.

the_tessa26d ago

That's a good point about the resting time between folds. I started setting a timer for exactly 30 minutes and it made a huge difference in how manageable the dough felt.