Tried using cold butter straight from the fridge for pie crust and it actually worked better

Honestly I always thought you had to chill butter after cutting it in but never thought about starting with it frozen solid. Last weekend I decided to test it because my kitchen was super warm and I was worried about the butter melting before I even got the dough together. I grated a stick of frozen butter straight into the flour mixture and worked it in with my fingers real quick. The dough came together way easier and didn't get sticky at all. The crust came out flakier than any I've made before and I've been baking pies for like 6 years now. Has anyone else tried this trick or am I late to the party here?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_nathan1mo ago

Used to think room temp butter was the way. This sounds way better actually.

eric_knight71mo ago

Did you see that one chef talking about how cold butter actually creates a flakier texture in pastries? It makes sense if you think about it. Room temp butter smears into the dough, but cold butter stays in little chunks. Those chunks steam up in the oven and leave pockets of air. I tried it with biscuits last month and they came out way taller and lighter than usual. Definitely switched me over to the cold butter camp.

fiona9851mo ago

Ugh, same here, I was skeptical at first but now I'll never go back to room temp butter.