Great pie dough is easy for some and a quest for others. Flour, salt, butter, water — how can it be so challenging? Sometimes, recipes call for one extra ingredient: a splash of vinegar in the cold water that brings the pie dough together.
What does that vinegar do? The most common answer — that it affects gluten development — isn't actually that useful. If you had a mass spectrometer at home, you could measure the teensy difference vinegar makes in the tensile strength of gluten strands in the dough, which in theory makes it a bit more tender.
But there are two much more important perks to using vinegar: it provides a little insurance against overworking the dough. And, that splash of vinegar will keep your dough from oxidizing and turning gray.
To watch the oxidation process play out, I made twobatches of ourAll-Butter Pie Crustand mixed 1 tablespoon of vinegar into the ice water of the second batch.
Here's the same recipe after three days. The water-only version has become noticeably grayer. It was also a bit more slack to work with when rolled out.
What happens if your dough is gray and oxidized, and you bake it anyway? Good news. It'll be fine. While the oxidized dough was a little floppier to work withand didn't hold the pattern of the pie top cutters, the look and flavor of the baked dough were pretty much the same.
In the end, if you prepped your dough without vinegar, forgot about it, andworry you'll have to start over, fear not. Use your gray dough and give it a little egg wash on top before baking.
Pie dough best practices
The biggest determining factor in the quality of your pie crust is the technique used to make it. Vinegar, buttermilk, lemon juice, and vodka all change the interaction of the liquid and gluten in the dough. But the difference between a dough with acid in it and one without (when made with the same technique) is infinitesimal. In other words,no ingredient can cure poor execution.
So remember the essential rules of pie baking:
Keep your fat cold, and leave half of it in larger chunks, bigger than you think they should be.
Addliquid, but not too much.
Fold the dough to bring it together, and don't be anxious if it's a little crumbly, as long as it feels damp.
This is where overworking is a risk; as long as the dough is mostly holding together, you don't need to spend a lot of time kneading it.
Chill in disks with round, smooth edges. If you do, you'll get smooth edges when you roll it out.
When it comes to pie dough, practice makes perfect. The most essential pastry ingredient is confidence. But if you're a busy baker and aren't sure when you'll be making the leap from dough to oven, a little splash of vinegar (or lemon juice) in your recipe is a good idea.
If you're a visual learner, check out the video tutorials in our Pie Baking Guide.
Our thanks to Anne Mientka for the photos in this post.
The acidic properties of vinegar inhibit gluten, some will say. This theory proposes that once the water and flour are combined, gluten starts forming, causing the dough to grow tough. Adding an acid, the theory goes, stops the gluten in its tracks and rescues the crust from toughness.
When vinegar reacts with baking soda, it creates carbon dioxide bubbles, which act as leavening agents. So as the batter bakes, these tiny bubbles expand, causing the cake to rise and giving it that light, airy texture we all love.
Why do some pie crust recipes call for vinegar? Vinegar can affect the gluten development in dough. Gluten gives dough structure, but too much gluten development can make dough tough. Acid can hinder gluten development; so, a bit of vinegar (or lemon juice) can make pie dough slightly more tender.
The key to standard pie crust is having pockets of fat surrounded by flour. But if that fat starts to melt and mixes with the flour, it can start to develop gluten, which can lead to a tough crust. To prevent this, keep everything as cold as possible.
To prevent the pie crust from puffing up too much while blind baking, prick the pie crust with a fork. Space the markings every inch around the crust to create air holes for the steam to escape.
The acidity of the dough affects the flavor of the bread, and adding vinegar can give it a mildly sour taste. However, if too much vinegar is added, it can make the dough too acidic, which in turn can lead to unpleasant bread flavor. Vinegar can also help improve the texture of bread.
Vinegar may have several functions in baked goods: Leavening agent: aids in leavening when used with a base (baking powder) to produce carbon dioxide. Acidulant: decreases pH aiding in meringue stabilization. Antimicrobial agent or preservative: helps control mold and bacterial growth by reducing the pH.
Unlike water, alcohol does not contribute to the formation of gluten, the network of proteins that can cause a crust to turn leathery. Because the alcohol burns off quickly in the oven, drying out the crust, we could add enough vodka to keep the dough wet and extremely supple.
Egg: This makes the dough more pliable and easy to roll out. Eggs also make the crust more compact. Acid and Alcohol: Both acid and alcohol tenderize pie dough, make it easier to roll out, and prevent it from shrinking in your pan.
I think sugar is likely the most misunderstood ingredient in pie dough. Yes, it sweetens the dough, but what else does it do? Sugar is also a tenderizer, primarily because it interferes with gluten development.
Though the science is sketchy, a few professional pie bakers swear that it improves the texture of the crust, and they wouldn't dream of making pie dough without it. (Others swear by similarly acidic ingredients like lemon juice.) The acidic properties of vinegar inhibit gluten, some will say.
Whether you use a food processor, a stand mixer, or your hands to incorporate the ingredients together, overmixing is a common mistake that leads to a chewy crust. It's tempting when baking to combine the ingredients completely, but the texture should resemble a coarse meal before adding your liquid.
Butter pie crust has the most flavor out of the three fats. This pie crust bakes up nice and golden brown, with plenty of flaky layers. Butter pie crust is the most sturdy and will support the weight of your favorite pie fillings.
Vinegar strengthens gluten development, which helps the dough to trap carbon dioxide produced by the yeast more efficiently. This results in improved yeast activity and a quicker rise. Additionally, vinegar enhances the acidity of the dough, creating a favourable environment for yeast growth.
Vinegar is occasionally incorporated into puff pastry dough to hinder gluten development, leading to a more delicate and flaky pastry. It also helps regulate the dough's pH, impacting its texture and rise. Typically, only a small quantity of vinegar is required in the dough recipe.
But let's not underestimate the egg wash, a small but important step that gives the crust its shine. Lending countless baked goods (pie crust, pastries, breads, and more) a glistening golden shell, an egg wash also helps seal the dough, providing a protective barrier from the heat of the oven.
Introduction: My name is Patricia Veum II, I am a vast, combative, smiling, famous, inexpensive, zealous, sparkling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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