Page 31 - Pie It Forward: Pies, Tarts, Tortes, Galettes, and Other Pastries Reinvented

HERE’S THE DEAL WITH FLOUR. Different flours have different

percentages of gluten, from cake flour, with the lowest, to bread

flours, with the highest. But even though most brands offer a cake,

an all-purpose, and a bread flour, the average flour mills won’t

guarantee consistent gluten percentages—they just aim for a range
and call it a day. I’m not going to name any names, but they are the

usual grocery suspects. When I hear the a baker lament, “I did

everything exactly the same as always, but it all went to hell,” I

immediately ask, “What kind of flour do you use?” The truth is, you

could have mixed your ingredients exactly as you did when you
made that cake perfectly, only to have it come out rubbery and full of

holes this time. Chances are, the gluten levels in the new bag of flour

you just bought are higher.

As a rule, I use all-purpose flour in my piecrusts and tart doughs.

Specifically, I use King Arthur, which is the only flour mill I know that

guarantees exact gluten percentages in each of its flours. I work the
flour as little or as much as I need, depending on the kind of crust I’m

making. If I’m making a sweet dough or a butter crust, I use a food

processor and work the fats into the dough with quick pulses so as

not to overwork the glutens. If I’m working with a yeasted dough for a

crust—like in Zwetschgendatschi or a pizza pie or a puff pastry—I

mix the dough enough to increase gluten for protein structure and
great mouthfeel.

A NOTE FROM THE SWEETIE PIE

Unsalted Butter

I’ve been asked over and over, “Why unsalted butter in your
recipes? I like salted butter.” And I always answer, “Because I say

so!”