Watched a baker in Portland cut cold butter into her pie dough, and I realized I had been melting mine for 12 years

Margaret Mason · 2026-09-17T02:50:04.6623+00:00

I have been making pie crust the same way since I was 22, always softening the butter in the microwave for about 20 seconds because I thought cold butter would tear the dough. Last Saturday I was at a small bakery in Portland and watched the owner pull butter straight from the walk-in and cut it into the flour with two knives, leaving visible pea sized chunks the whole time. She told me the chunks are the point, because they steam in the oven and that is what makes the layers flake. I tried it at home on Sunday with a basic two crust recipe I have made maybe 200 times, and the difference was not small. The crust actually puffed up and separated into layers instead of coming out flat and a little tough like mine always did. Now I am wondering how many other things I do out of habit that are just plain wrong. Has anyone else had a moment like this with a basic technique they thought they had down?

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Watched a baker in Portland cut cold butter into her pie dough, and I realized I had been melting mine for 12 years | Bakers - The Community Guide