Warning: The ice water trick for pie crust actually works but timing is everything

I kept getting dense, tough pie crusts for like a year. Tried different flours, different fats, nothing fixed it. Then my neighbor who used to bake at a diner in Pittsburgh told me to stop using cold water from the tap. She said to throw a few ice cubes in a cup of water and wait until it gets actually freezing cold. I thought it was dumb but tried it last weekend for a chicken pot pie. The dough came together way easier without getting warm and sticky. I barely had to work it to get it smooth compared to before. Crust came out flaky for the first time in forever. Has anyone else noticed a big difference with water temp like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

morgan_jenkins902d ago

idk man, 30 seconds with ice is basically a tease. you gotta let them sit in there like they're waiting for a bus, at least two or three minutes so the water gets properly offended by the cold. next time measure with your finger if you must, but if it makes your hand ache a little, that's probably cold enough.

lucas9722d ago

how cold did the water actually get? im curious cause i used the ice cube trick just once and it helped a little but not nearly as much as you're describing. i was worried about diluting the dough so i only kept the ice in for maybe 30 seconds. seems like you left em in a lot longer? also did you measure the temp or just eyeball it? cause if im gonna try again i wanna know exactly how cold is cold enough without going overboard and making the fat too hard to cut in