That time my pie crust came out like cardboard and I learned about ice water the hard way

I was making a double batch of apple pies for Thanksgiving and my crust kept turning out tough and crumbly, turns out my tap water was way too warm. After I started using ice cubes in my water and measuring exactly 6 tablespoons, the difference was night and day - has anyone else figured out a better way to keep ingredients cold during a big bake?

3 comments

3 Comments

blair_martin7d ago

lol you're so right about the cold butter on bread thing, it just destroys soft sourdough every time. the ice water trick is a lifesaver though - i actually started keeping a bowl of ice water in the freezer specifically for baking days, and i'll even throw my flour in the fridge for an hour before i start mixing. warm hands are my enemy when i'm working with pie dough, so i also run them under cold water for a bit before i start handling it lol

sarah8188d ago

Butter straight from the fridge works just fine for me.

xenaf517d agoTop Commenter

Have you ever tried spreading cold butter on fresh bread though? It just rips the bread apart (especially with something soft like sourdough or a dinner roll). Even if you don't care about that, cold butter doesn't melt into the food the same way room temp does. It stays in little hard chunks instead of coating everything evenly. I used to think it was no big deal until I had properly softened butter on toast and realized what I was missing. Once you get used to it, going back feels like a downgrade.