Why You Should Try A Blend Of Different Flours For Pie Crust
Pie, pie! Me, oh my! Everyone here loves pie! The wonderful thing about this dish is that the possibilities for flavors and recipes are vast. There are classics like apple pie, pumpkin pie, banana cream pie, and savory staples like shepherd's pie. Also, there are custard pies, fruit pies... or even unique combinations like this rhubarb custard pie.
What you fill your pie with is dependent upon personal taste, mood, and occasion, but the one thing in common with all pies is that you want a good crust — otherwise, you're just eating a casserole.
Many people believe that the secret to a good pie crust is the fat that you use. Taste of Home notes that butter is believed to be the best for a flakey and sturdy crust, although many will opt to use shortening instead. Interestingly enough, while the fat content in pie dough is important, the flour that you use is equally important.
A bouquet of flours
If you're keeping flour in your kitchen pantry, odds are it's a bag or container of all-purpose flour, and this is understandable. After all, it works for all purposes. However, there are many types of flour on the market, and each one can be used for specific kinds of recipes.
While you can certainly make pie dough with all-purpose flour, Taste of Home notes that the way to get a lighter, fluffier pie crust is to use a combination of all-purpose flour and pastry flour. Pastry flour is lower in protein and is meant for baking, and Allrecipes notes that this flour type creates a more tender crust too. So adding some of this to your all-purpose flour for pie dough will yield a lighter, flakier dough, while the high-gluten content in the all-purpose flour will give the dough its pliability. Best of both worlds, right?
If you don't have any pastry flour in the pantry, Taste of Home also notes that you can simply add some granulated sugar to your dough mixture to create a tender crust. Now you know the secrets to a perfect pie crust, so the question is, what are you going to fill it with?