Ditch This Baking Myth For Pie Dough That's Much Easier To Handle

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From old-school staples like apple and blueberry to cream pies, custard pies, and more, there is no wrong answer when it comes to the question of which type to make. However, a pie is nothing without its shell, and for many bakers, shaping, rolling, and chilling the perfect flaky pie crust is the most challenging part of the whole process. But the latter part — the chilling — is more important than you may think when it comes to pie crust. 

Tasting Table asked Alex George, creator of the Lily P Crumbs blog, and author of "In the Mood to Bake," about the popular myth of needing to chill pie crust for an hour, she said that this was only the "bare minimum" needed to achieve the perfect crust. "The purpose of resting pie dough in the refrigerator is to allow the dough's gluten to relax. If gluten does not relax, imagine it as 'uptight,' the dough will shrink down into the pie pan instead of baking up beautifully," she said. 

Besides giving the gluten a chance to slack after you've poked, prodded, and rolled it, putting dough in the fridge also allows the butter or fat to solidify. Skipping the cold butter in the first place or not taking steps to keep it as cold as possible are some of the easiest ways to ruin a pie crust. If the butter is already warm, it won't release steam in the oven and make those flaky layers. 

There are many ways to tell that your pie crust needs some time in the fridge. When you're rolling out pie crust, pay very close attention to when the dough starts to fight back against being rolled out. If you add flour on top of and underneath your dough, but it is still resistant to being rolled out, it could be a sign that your dough needs a break. If you start to notice your fingers and work surface getting greasy, read up on the fail-proof tips to memorize for homemade pie crust and pop it in the fridge to give the butter a chance to solidify.

Given that refrigerating your pie crust is a good thing, per Alex George, you might assume that the longer you can give it in the fridge, the better. However, there are drawbacks to this method as well. "If you wait too long, you may see the crust start to get a grayish tint as it begins to oxidize," she said. She offered her recommendation for how long to refrigerate the crust: "I am not in favor of an extremely long rest; two hours is plenty," she says. "You can go overnight, meaning 12 to 24 hours, which works ... If you need to go longer than that, freeze it."

You may also want to try breaking up this time with the double-chill method pie dough method; pop your dough in the fridge before shaping it into the tin and before adding your fillings to give the butter a chance to harden and for the gluten to slack.