Switched from butter to shortening for pie crusts and I get it now

I always thought butter was the only way to go for flavor. But I tried making a cherry pie last week using Crisco like my grandma always did and the crust came out so flaky and tender. The butter version always seemed to leak or get soggy on the bottom. Anyone else find shortening beats butter for certain things?

2 comments

2 Comments

ericjackson15d agoMost Upvoted

Butter has a higher water content than shortening, which is why you are getting soggy bottoms. The water in butter turns to steam and makes the crust tough if you handle it too much. Shortening is pure fat, so it stays solid longer and creates those nice flakes. You can also do half and half to get the butter flavor with the shortening texture. Your grandma probably knew this, she just used what she had.

green.mason15d ago

Totally agree with you @ericjackson, I messed around with a bunch of pie crusts last year and the half and half trick was a game changer for me. Tried straight butter first and got that tough, greasy mess you described, then switched to all shortening and lost all the flavor. Now I do about 60% butter and 40% shortening and it comes out perfect every time with a nice flake and still tastes like real butter. Your grandma point is spot on too, mine always used Crisco but her crusts were legendary because she just knew how to work with what she had.