What makes Sweet Tart Dough sturdier than flaky or mealy dough?

Sweet tart dough, also known as pate sucree is a rich, non-flaky dough used for sweet tart shells. Because it uses egg yolks and during mixing, the fat is blended in more thoroughly, it is a much sturdier dough.

What does too much butter do to dough?

It shortens the gluten strands so the bread will maintain less volume when baked. It may even collapse and be doughy.

What makes dough flaky?

Flakiness comes from the solid fat (butter, shortening, lard, or cream cheese) that’s used to make the dough. During baking, the pieces of fat melt away, leaving air pockets that then expand a little from steam. The result is a slightly risen crust of layers separated by the air pockets-in other words, a flaky crust.

What is the typical ratio of ingredients for crumb crust?

A typical ratio of ingredients for crumb crust is: One part melted butter, two parts sugar, and four parts crumbs.

Can you add more butter to cookie dough?

Adding fat to your cookie dough will definitely soften the dough. However, you do not want to add too much as it will change the end texture of your cookies. Whatever fat is used in your recipe, butter, vegetable oil or Crisco, add 1 teaspoon of the fat to the dough and gently knead the fat in with your hands.

What happens if I put too much butter in my pie crust?

In pie crust, you don’t want gluten to form so you don’t want to mix too much and overwork the dough. The chunks of cold butter create the layers in the dough. When the butter melts in the oven, it will make steam pockets. Your crust will end up with a wonderfully flaky texture.

What is the difference between flaky and mealy?

Flaky crust is used for non-liquid or cooked fillings. It’s achieved by keeping your fat pieces larger after combining. Mealy dough is used for pies with a liquid or custard filling. It’s more dense, so it can withstand the heavier fillings, and is made by rubbing your fat and flour down to cornmeal-sized pieces.

What type of pastry has a flaky raised dough?

Puff Pastry
Puff Pastry: This is a flaky pastry characterised by fat and air being trapped between the layers of the dough to give a delicate, layered, and crisp finish.

Why is shortening preferred?

Shortening and other solid fats are preferable to liquid oils in baking applications like cookies, pie crusts, and cakes to create a tender, flaky end product. But when a fat such as shortening is cut into flour before baking, it coats the gluten strands, preventing them from lengthening and forming a tough matrix.

Why is my graham cracker crust so hard?

WHY IS MY GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST HARD? You may have added too much butter to the recipe, which hardens when refrigerated. Pressing too hard when forming the crust to your pan. The crust is overcooked, try lowering the temperature or shortening the cooking time next time.