The Ingredient That Makes Marie Callender's Pie Crust Fall Flat

Although there are plenty of fail-proof tips you can memorize to ensure you make the best homemade pie crust, sometimes it's just easier to use a store-bought crust instead. Luckily, there are plenty of brands, like Marie Callender's, that sell pre-made pie crusts. Known for its extensive collection of frozen meals and desserts, Marie Callender's was ranked the best frozen dessert pie brand by our team and declared the better frozen pie compared to its competitor, Sara Lee. However, that reputation doesn't carry over to its frozen pastry pie shells. Despite this crust being made from scratch, it has a crumbly texture that's less than desirable. And you can blame one ingredient for these textural problems: soybean oil.

Compared to butter, which gives pie crust its signature multi-layered flakiness, soybean oil doesn't produce the same desired effect. That's because soybean oil doesn't allow pastry dough to fully expand the way it would with butter. And this occurs because soybean oil lacks fat, which is an essential part of making a flaky pie crust. Soybean oil consists mainly of healthy fats, while shortening is pure fat, and butter has up to about 85% fat. Usually, a flaky crust is formed when the fat within butter or shortening melts and releases steam. This process traps air within the dough, which helps the crust separate into distinct, flaky layers. Unfortunately, soybean oil can't recreate this process. So, instead of having even layers of flakiness throughout, soybean oil creates a fragile pie crust that easily falls apart and produces hollow portions in a puff pastry dough. Hence, it shouldn't be used to replace a fatter ingredient.

The moment soybean oil is added to the dough mixture, its effect is immediate. The dough becomes impossible to flatten into the perfect thinness because it continuously breaks and tears, and its fragile nature makes it a nightmare to maneuver, pinch, and mold into a pie pan. Based on appearance, you wouldn't expect such a delicate pie crust from Marie Callender's, especially since the crust looks pristine in the packaging. It isn't until you bake this crust that you'll notice the cracks in the foundation. Compared to shortening, which ensures your pie crust remains stable during and after the baking process, soybean oil fails the stability test. Instead of having a sturdy crust, soybean oil creates an overtly soft one reminiscent of the texture of a shortbread cookie, minus the rich, buttery flavor.

As a result, Marie Callender's frozen pie crusts aren't compatible with all pies. However, its crumbly nature is perfect for tarts and cheesecakes. And the sweetness of the crust perfectly complements the rich, flavorsome notes of savory meals with crusts like a bacon, onion, and goat cheese quiche or squash blossom ricotta pie.

So, if soybean oil creates such a fragile pie crust, why does Marie Callender's use it? Well, soybean oil doesn't cost nearly as much as butter does. It's also less demanding to work with than butter. Although butter creates beautiful flaky layers, it's temperamental to use because its temperature can make it harder to incorporate into pie crust dough. Meanwhile, oil seamlessly combines with water and flour to instantaneously create a dough.