Pie crust. To make it turn out one must keep everything maximally cold, or so I read. I think this keeps the shortening somehow from mixing to much with the flour? Maybe this is true for other baking arts too.

In any case: cold. You can put it in the freezer and it will get cold, eventually. Fine if you have all the time in the world but I was hungry for pie an hour ago! Then you get it out and mess with it and it is warm again. Bah.

You could add ice, which is cold, but ice melts into water, and too much water is anathema to crust. Some even use vodka instead of water to reduce that demon H20.

I propose dry ice be used to chill ingredients. Crumbles of dry ice will keep shortening rock hard and prevent untoward thawing. The dry ice will get lost during the baking step so no damage done.

I am a little concerned that dry ice is a good solvent and might tend to capture and retain environmental off odors which will remain in the pie.

I propose
-- bungston, Nov 08 2015

//worrying that dry ice is a good solvent// well... supercritical CO2 is, not sure about frozen CO2.
-- FlyingToaster, Nov 08 2015


A tip I got recently was to freeze the butter, and then grate it into the flour.

On the other hand crustless pies are interesting - more filling, who could argue with that? I wondered if this was a pure dry ice crust, which would sublimate away as the pie cooked, giving a perfectly formed crustless pie floating in midair in the middle of the oven.
-- pocmloc, Nov 08 2015


Oh [bungston]! You finally proposed! We should probably discuss the honeymoon and the size of the rock and the pre-nup before any of us commit.

<gasp>
It's so sparkly...
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 08 2015


You want the shortening or butter cold to keep it from melting as long as possible. This creates layers and makes for a flakier crust. Slivers of butter work better than grated chunks... but I don't know how well this idea as it stands would work.
The dry ice would displace area around itself as it sublimates so it might make for an even flakier crust, or it might make for mush.
It certainly deserves a test and if it doesn't work as posted then using CO2 or liquid nitrogen to chill the butter down colder than freezing would sure keep that butter from melting for a longer time. (+)
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 08 2015


[fries], don't throw your heart away just yet. The first hit in a search in the 'bakery for bungston + propose shows this is not his first time.
-- normzone, Nov 09 2015


<mutters> always a bridesmaid ...
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Nov 09 2015


hehe - but at least he cooks!
-- xandram, Nov 09 2015


This rich, flaky pastry couldn't be more appropriate.
-- Voice, Nov 09 2015



random, halfbakery