[pastryboy]

i never used to have this problem but it seems to be a recurring issue lately.

i make an all butter pie crust and lately it comes out flaky but also tough and hard-to-cut, instead of tender and delicate.

i'm wondering a few things:

1) i switched recipes to the one used at Tartine (the famous san francisco bakery) who says to use a ratio of 3 to 2 to 1, flour to butter to water, which ends up seeming like a lot of water. i don't add it all but could too much water be my problem?

2) i moved to Los Angeles from central VA last year and the summers here are much hotter than i am used to. could it be the heat is slightly melting my butter (even tho i try to keep the kitchen cool)?

3) or is it possible that i'm just overworking my dough?

4) is there a way to rule out the variables?

Thanks.

[AndreaKulbaba]

Tough pastry is what happens when you overwork the dough.

About the water; you said you weren't adding all the water in your recipe. Try adding more to the dough. You might not need all of the water all of the time, but do it exactly as written a couple of times, and then adjust for the times when the dough seems wetter than usual, sometimes you may even need to add more!

[Lisbet]

This is the best website I have seen on "How-To" for pie crusts.

Hope it is of help to all (like myself and so many others) who are seeking the elusive "perfect pie crust"!

Kitchen Parade: How to Make Flaky Tender Pie Crust

[jfield]

Pie crust can be very frustrating. Maybe I can help. I've written a couple of tutorials on making pie crust over on my blog:
Oooh, Your Pie Crust! It’s So….Wee! Pastry Methods and Techniques
And Then, Inspiration Struck: What. How. Why. Pastry Methods and Techniques
Best of luck with it!

[Blueicus]

Water assists in the development of gluten, which causes the crust to be springy and tough so add only as much as is needed to bring your dough together. Also, overworking the dough will cause the gluten to develop as well so when stop when the pastry forms a coherent mass.