I listened to you and Melissa Clark talk about apple pie TWICE, I watched her dough video; I watched your insta story if making the pie, and I read the newsletter about the apple pie. I STILL can’t get the crust right. When I roll it out, it always cracks around the edges, so instead of a circle I have a shaggy, star-shaped thing that I end up patching together. What am I doing wrong?
Sorry to hear that! That still happens to me too. The secret with pie dough is that you can patch it together and it'll be fine (see Alison Roman's latest apple galette video). That said, I think it helps to rotate the dough every time you roll out from the middle. So roll out, rotate slightly (15 degrees), roll out, and keep rotating, flipping every so often so it doesn't stick (and dusting with flour if necessary). You may not get a perfect circle, but it'll hold together better. The other idea would be to add a little more water when you add water to the dry ingredients. It makes for a smoother dough. Good luck!
Dear Jessica- you are doing nothing wrong! It's just the way it is in life. Kudos to you for even thinking about making homemade pie dough. Try this little tip that came from a great french cook who was very old, very experienced, and extremely opinionated: take your rolling pin and go around the edge of the crust, LIGHTLY, as if you are a NASCAR driver circling the track. It will even out the crust and patch the cracky bits. Remember lightly, as you don't want to thin the edge of the crust, just encourage the fat parts to join the fissures. Try it! It works! If not, then it's all good. Remember, for heaven's sake it's only pie.
I listened to you and Melissa Clark talk about apple pie TWICE, I watched her dough video; I watched your insta story if making the pie, and I read the newsletter about the apple pie. I STILL can’t get the crust right. When I roll it out, it always cracks around the edges, so instead of a circle I have a shaggy, star-shaped thing that I end up patching together. What am I doing wrong?
Sorry to hear that! That still happens to me too. The secret with pie dough is that you can patch it together and it'll be fine (see Alison Roman's latest apple galette video). That said, I think it helps to rotate the dough every time you roll out from the middle. So roll out, rotate slightly (15 degrees), roll out, and keep rotating, flipping every so often so it doesn't stick (and dusting with flour if necessary). You may not get a perfect circle, but it'll hold together better. The other idea would be to add a little more water when you add water to the dry ingredients. It makes for a smoother dough. Good luck!
Thanks for taking the time to answer, Adam! Enjoy Florida.
Dear Jessica- you are doing nothing wrong! It's just the way it is in life. Kudos to you for even thinking about making homemade pie dough. Try this little tip that came from a great french cook who was very old, very experienced, and extremely opinionated: take your rolling pin and go around the edge of the crust, LIGHTLY, as if you are a NASCAR driver circling the track. It will even out the crust and patch the cracky bits. Remember lightly, as you don't want to thin the edge of the crust, just encourage the fat parts to join the fissures. Try it! It works! If not, then it's all good. Remember, for heaven's sake it's only pie.