Why do some recipes call for kneading pie/tart dough?
I've have read many times that pie dough is meant to be held sparingly to avoid creating gluten, but kneading the pie dough does exactly that. So, what is the motivation?
Best Answer
Recipes usually specify lightly kneading pie dough to help it hold together better (especially when fitting it into the pie dish) and to orienting the gluten and fat into flaky layers instead of crumbly crumbs. Over kneading blends the fat and flour into a mortar/paste that takes longer to cook through and is tough and cardboard-like.
Pictures about "Why do some recipes call for kneading pie/tart dough?"
Should I knead pie dough?
Keep in mind that the pie dough won't come together in the bowl. The dough will be shaggy and moist and need a kneading on the countertop. The dough mixture will be shaggy but all of the flour and butter bits will be moistened. The mixture will be moist but far from sticky.Should pastry dough be kneaded?
Knead your pastry just lightly enough to ensure it is smooth. If you knead any longer, you'll overwork the pastry and it will become tough on baking. How can I stop my pastry shrinking when I bake it? Pastry must always be chilled in a fridge after making.Why should you not knead pastry dough?
Over kneading blends the fat and flour into a mortar/paste that takes longer to cook through and is tough and cardboard-like.What happens if you knead pie dough?
You knead bread dough to develop and stretch the gluten. In pie crust, you don't want gluten to form so you don't want to mix too much and overwork the dough. For a flaky crust, cut the butter so that chunks of butter about the size of walnut halves remain. The chunks of cold butter create the layers in the dough.How to make Chicken Pie with Homemade Shortcrust Pastry
More answers regarding why do some recipes call for kneading pie/tart dough?
Answer 2
Handel the least amount possible. You mix pie and Quiche dough, puck it then let it (the gluten developed from mixing) rest in the fridge for 30 minutes, then roll it out. Otherwise you are developing the gluten (like bread or pasta) and working all the cold fat out in turn you are unable to trap the cold fat between the flour and wont have the flaky layers needed for a Clark crust
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Klaus Nielsen, Katerina Holmes, Nicole Michalou, Nicole Michalou