That 30 minute rest I kept skipping for pie dough

I watched this old pastry chef on YouTube say to chill your pie dough for 30 minutes before rolling it out. I used to skip it because I was in a hurry and wondered why my crust always cracked. Tried it last weekend with a batch of apple pies and the dough rolled out smooth and didn't shrink in the pan. The chef said the gluten relaxes and the butter firms up just enough to keep layers. Three pies later and no tears in the crust for the first time. Has anyone else noticed a big difference from resting dough that long?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona_clark7h ago

Oh man, I learned this one the hard way too! I used to skip the chill time because I'd be racing the clock before dinner guests showed up, and every single time my crust would crack into pieces or puff up weird in the oven. Let me tell you, that 30 minute rest is no joke. The butter gets cold enough that it doesn't melt into the flour too fast, and the gluten stops fighting you so you can actually roll it out without swearing at the counter. I do two rests now, one for the whole disc and another after I shape it in the pan, and my crusts finally look like the ones in the cookbooks. Save yourself the headache and just pop it in the fridge while you clean up, it's totally worth it.

nancy8242h ago

@fiona_clark nailed it with the "gluten stops fighting you" part. I used to think resting was some old wive's tale but after cracking three crusts in a row I finally chilled one and it rolled out like butter.