What is the difference between mealy and flaky pie dough?
Flaky crust is used for non-liquid or cooked fillings. It’s achieved by keeping your fat pieces larger after combining. Mealy dough is used for pies with a liquid or custard filling. It’s more dense, so it can withstand the heavier fillings, and is made by rubbing your fat and flour down to cornmeal-sized pieces.
Which mixing method is used for making mealy pie dough?
Pro-tip – The best way to make mealy pie dough is to use a stand mixer or food processor. This works the cold butter into the flour and makes the mixture mealy without needing to use your hands. If you use your hands, the butter can melt pretty fast and your crust will get tough.
Why is my pie crust mealy?
The flour is coated in the fat, resulting in a tender (short) pie crust that won’t absorb as much liquid as its flaky counterpart. This is why most mealy pie doughs are used for bottom crusts, whereas flaky doughs are used for top crusts..
Does oil make pie crust mealy and tender?
Oil and margarine are the two most common fats used to make pie crust. Oil makes pie crust mealy and tender rather than flaky and tender. Water provides moisture to help gluten form and produces steam for flakiness.
When would you use a mealy crust and a flaky crust?
Flaky doughs are used for top crusts and sometimes for prebaked shells. To produce mealy doughs with even more resistance to soaking, the flour and fat can be blended together completely to make a smooth paste. Such a dough is very short when baked. It is especially appropriate for custard pies.
Which type of flour is the best choice for pie doughs?
Pastry flour is the best choice for pie doughs. It has enough gluten to produce the desired structure and flakiness, yet is low enough in gluten to yield a tender product, if handled properly. If stronger flours are used, the percentage of shortening should be increased to provide more tenderness.
What is rubbed dough?
It is known as the rubbed dough method because originally this dough was made only by hand by rubbing cold pieces of butter into flour with the palms of one’s hands. The smaller the pieces of butter, the less flaky the dough will be. The larger the pieces of butter, the flakier the dough will be.
When making a mealy pie dough is it important to work fat into flour until the mixture looks like?
the fat is cut into the flour until the mixture resembles cornmeal. d. the fat is rolled into the dough, which is then given three 3-folds.
Can I add sugar to my pie crust?
Sugar: Not all pie crusts have sugar, but those that do will be more tender since sugar interferes with gluten development. In our experience, sugar can also make the pie dough so tender that it’s hard to roll out and transfer to your pan without breaking.
What does butter do in a pie?
The pros: Butter has the best flavor and it forms light, lofty, flaky layers in pie crust. The flakiness comes partially from the water content of butter, which evaporates as the pie bakes and turns to steam, separating and puffing up the layers in dough.
How many pie crusts are in mealy pie dough?
This particular recipe will make four ten-inch single crusts (for pecan or pumpkin pies and/or quiches) or two crusts (the standard apple or cherry pie set-up). What is a Mealy Pie Dough?
What to do with extra mealy pie dough?
Prep your mealy pie dough as instructed above and trim off the extra crust (leaving that 1/4″ of extra dough all the way around. Fill your pie crust with your cooled filling. Do not over-fill or it will spill out of your pie. Brush the outside edges of your mealy pie dough with egg wash.
Do you use mealy or flaky pie crusts?
Flaky crusts are used for top crusts and for making prebaked pie shells. So, if you’re making a custard pie, which only has a bottom crust, you’d make a mealy pie crust. Just cut the fat into the flour a little longer, until it resembles cornmeal. If you’re making a fruit pie, you’d make one flaky top crust and a mealy bottom crust.
How long does it take to freeze mealy pie dough?
Freeze the pie dough for 20 minutes (or more). Brush the pie dough with egg wash to promote a shiny and brown crust (optional). Fill your pie crust with the pie filling and bake until the pie crust pulls away from the edges of the pan and is golden brown.