c/bakers

Had to choose between butter and shortening for my pie crust last Thanksgiving

I was making pies for a big family dinner and realized I was out of butter with the store already closed. All I had was a half stick of butter and a full tub of shortening. I decided to go half and half, figuring it would be a good compromise. The crust came out flaky but didn't have that rich buttery taste I was hoping for. My aunt actually commented that it was the best crust I ever made, which surprised me since I usually go all butter. I think the shortening gave it a tenderness I don't get with butter alone. Has anyone else mixed fats in their pie dough and gotten good results?

2 comments

bennett.mason•1d ago

Had a batch of bagels come out like rocks... then a buddy told me to try a cold ferment overnight

I've been at this bagel thing for maybe 6 months and kept getting these dense, tough results even after boiling them. A guy at the local bake shop in Portland told me to just stick the shaped dough in the fridge for 18 hours before the boil and bake. Tried it last weekend and the inside got all chewy and airy like I wanted. Anyone else find that cold proofing makes that much of a difference for bagels?

2 comments

gavin692•1d ago

Worst baking day I've had in 5 years was last Saturday at Sweet Rise Bakery

I was doing a big order of 48 croissants for a wedding and my butter block split right during the third fold. It turned into a greasy mess and I had to toss the whole batch, lost about $60 in ingredients. I tried to salvage it with some cold rest time but the lamination was totally shot. Has anyone else had a butter disaster like this or is it just me?

c/bakers

Had to choose between butter and shortening for my pie crust last Thanksgiving

Had a batch of bagels come out like rocks... then a buddy told me to try a cold ferment overnight

Worst baking day I've had in 5 years was last Saturday at Sweet Rise Bakery

Noticed a bakery in Portland using a wood fired oven for everything

My mentor told me I was overworking my pie dough

Used to rely on the timer on my oven for proofing dough but switched to a cheap kitchen scale 2 years ago after 4 loaves came out flat.

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Had a run-in with a sticky dough situation at the county fair bake-off last weekend...

That $200 stand mixer almost ended up on Facebook Marketplace

My mentor told me my bread was too dense and she was right

Tried butter vs shortening in my pie crust and butter blew it out of the water

I used to laugh at people who weigh their flour until it saved my cake

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