Heard a pastry chef say 'cold butter is your best friend' and it finally clicked

I always let my butter sit out before making pie dough because I thought softer was easier, but after 3 gummy crusts in a row I tried it fridge-cold and the difference was night and day. Has anyone else had a basic tip like that completely change their baking game?

3 comments

3 Comments

scott.drew16d ago

Cold butter hates you until it doesn't. Took me three sad tarts to learn that lesson too.

webb.ben16d ago

Nah, I'm gonna disagree here. Room temp butter makes a flakier crust for me every time... cold butter leaves me with chunks that don't melt right during baking. Maybe I'm just doing it wrong, but I've had way more luck letting it sit out before mixing.

robinson.hannah2d ago

I feel you @webb.ben, I used to fight with cold butter all the time too. Letting it sit out for like 15 minutes before mixing gave me way more consistent results without those hard lumps. Once I stopped being so strict about keeping it fridge cold, my pie crusts actually started coming out flaky and tender.