The perfect pie crust is flaky, tender and golden brown. Whether you prefer fruit or custard pies, the crust is an essential component that can make or break the entire dessert. Most pie crust recipes call for solid fat, typically butter or vegetable shortening. However, vegetable oil is growing in popularity as a butter substitute due to potential benefits like easier mixing and handling, increased flakiness and a lighter texture. So when it comes to your next homemade pie, should you stick with tried-and-true butter or give oil a try instead?
The role of fat in pie dough
Pie dough is classified as a shortcrust pastry because it contains a relatively high proportion of fat compared to flour. Solid fats like butter and shortening make up about 20-40% of the dough by weight. When chilled pie dough bakes, the fat melts and creates air pockets, leading to the desired flaky layers.
More specifically, here is what the fat does:
- Tenderizes – Fat “shortens” the dough by disrupting gluten formation. This results in a tender, crumbly texture.
- Flakiness – Chilled fat solidifies into small pieces in the dough. As the dough bakes, the fat melts and leaves behind air pockets. This separation of layers gives the crust its characteristic flakes.
- Flavor – Butter provides rich, savory flavor. Oil has a more neutral taste.
- Texture – The water-resistant fat coats the flour proteins and limits hydration. This gives the unbaked dough a firm, plastic texture that rolls out easily.
As you can see, the fat is not added just for richness. It plays several critical roles in achieving ideal pie crust texture.
Butter pros and cons
Butter is the go-to choice for most bakers when making pie crust. There are several good reasons for this:
Flavor
Butter has an irresistible taste and aroma. Oil can’t match butter’s complex flavor that enriches the overall pie experience.
Flakiness
The water content and milk solids in butter help create light, flaky layers.
Tradition
Butter has always been used in pie dough. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is the motto of many bakers.
However, butter also comes with a few downsides:
Difficult handling
The softness of butter at room temperature can make it tricky to mix into the dry ingredients. Melting during handling can lead to a dense, tough crust.
Water content
Too much water leads to gluten development, which can toughen the dough. A butter-rich dough may need careful moisture management.
Temperature sensitivity
Butter melts quickly, making overworking the dough easy. Keeping the butter cold requires extra effort.
Oil pros and cons
Replacing butter with oil in pie crust is an intriguing alternative:
Easy mixing
Oil is pourable at room temperature, blending smoothly into the dry mixture. No more struggling with cold chunks of butter!
Tender, flaky results
Oil layers readily create flaky separations. Less water is required, so the crust may be more tender.
Lighter texture
Without dense butter chunks, oil dough tends to be lighter and airier when baked.
Heat tolerance
Oil doesn’t melt easily, so the dough can be handled with less temperature concern.
However, oil crusts also have some potential pitfalls:
Lack of rich flavor
Vegetable oil provides virtually no taste. Savory butter flavor is noticeably absent.
Greasy mouthfeel
Too much oil can lead to a greasy sensation when the crust is eaten. Proper technique helps avoid this.
Durability issues
Oil crusts may be more fragile and prone to falling apart when baked.
Butter vs. oil nutrition
There are also some notable nutritional differences between butter and oil pie crusts:
Fat content
Butter is 100% fat, while oils are 100% fat calories. Using 3/4 cup of butter yields about 600 calories and 68g fat. The same amount of canola oil provides over 800 calories and 92g fat.
Saturated fat
Butter is about 60% saturated fat. Oils provide mostly unsaturated fats and contain no cholesterol.
Vitamins
Butter has small amounts of vitamins A, D, E and K. Vegetable oils don’t contain vitamins.
So in terms of health, unsaturated oil is likely the better choice. But keep in mind that pie crust is a treat food no matter what fat you use. Moderation is key!
Butter vs. oil pie crust experiment
To help determine whether butter or oil makes a better pie crust, I baked four batches of crust using my basic recipe:
– All-butter crust
– All-oil crust
– Half butter & half oil
– Shortening (for comparison)
I used unsalted butter and canola oil, with 2 cups flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt for each crust. The fat content was equivalent – about 3/4 cup or 6 ounces per crust. Here is how the crusts compared:
| Crust Type | Mixing | Rolling | Pre-bake Texture | Baked Texture | Flavor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All butter | Challenging. Butter was initially too sticky. | Good. Not too stiff or soft. | Flaky layers visible. | Flaky, crisp, golden brown. | Rich, savory, buttery. |
| All oil | Easy. Oil blended in smoothly. | Very easy. Soft but not sticky. | More tender than flaky. | Light, crisp, flaky. | Neutral flavor. |
| Butter & oil | Fairly easy. Some small butter pieces remained. | Easy. Well-balanced texture. | Flakier than all-oil. | Flaky layers, crisp texture. | Hint of butter flavor. |
| Shortening | Easy. Shortening blended easily. | More stiff than butter or oil versions. | Very flaky and firm. | Dense, tender-crisp, greasy. | Neutral flavor. |
Conclusion
So which fat makes better pie crust – butter or oil? After testing both, here is my verdict:
For flavor and tradition, butter can’t be beat. The rich taste and full texture of an all-butter crust is hard to replicate with vegetable oil. However, oil does create a tender, flaky crust with less fuss. So each fat has its own advantages.
The ideal pie crust combines the best attributes of both ingredients. My recipe using half butter and half oil produced a crust with some butter flavor that was still easy to work with. This hybrid crust gave a pleasing balance of flakiness and tenderness as well.
So my recommendation is to use a blend of butter and oil in your pie crust. You’ll get some of the rich taste and flaky texture from the butter, along with the convenient mixing and handling benefits of oil. Just be careful not to overdo the oil ratio or the crust may seem greasy. With the right balance of fat, you can create the perfect pie crust – flaky, flavorful and golden brown!