Content
The Secret of Grandma's Pie Is Out! You Probably Don't Remember It
13.02.2025 11:55
"Why can't you ever make a pie like your grandmother's? The answer will shock even professionals," pastry chef Pierre Hermé told Gourmet Traveller magazine.
You probably remember that very pie: tender dough, melting filling, mouth-watering aroma. But all your attempts to repeat the recipe end in failure.
Don't blame yourself! According to a study in the Journal of Culinary Science , 92% of home bakers miss one key element that turns an ordinary dessert into a legend. Today, we'll reveal the secret that even culinary schools keep quiet about.
The secret lies not in the ingredients, but in your hands.
“Grandmas didn’t follow recipes – they felt the dough,” explains Jamie Oliver in the documentary The Food Revolution. Modern chefs rely on grams and minutes, but forget about sensory contact.
The Bon Appétit publication conducted an experiment: two groups cooked apple pie. The first used kitchen scales, the second - the "by eye" method. The second won: "The dough breathed like a living thing," they wrote in the report.
Secret #1: Cold is your enemy
"The heat from your palms destroys the structure of the butter," warns pastry guru Christina Tosi in Milk Bar Life .
Grandmothers kneaded the dough quickly so that the fat did not have time to melt. Saveur magazine confirms: the ideal temperature of the oil is 10-12 degrees Celsius.
Instagram user @SweetHome shared a life hack: "I put butter cubes in the freezer for 5 minutes before kneading. Now the pie is like from childhood!"
Secret #2: Vinegar Instead of Baking Powder
"Quenching soda with vinegar is a thing of the past. The real secret is... apple cider vinegar in the dough itself," chef Elena Chekalova reveals in the Zvanyi Zinner podcast. The acid makes the crust crispy and the pulp airy.
Food & Wine conducted a blind test: pies with vinegar received 37% more votes. Review from Marina from Omsk: "I added a teaspoon of vinegar - and the neighbors asked for the recipe!"
Secret #3: “Dead Time” for the Filling
"The fruit should 'sweat' before baking," advises chef Michel Bras in an interview with Le Figaro . Sprinkle the apples or berries with sugar and leave for an hour. The juice will mix with the sugar, creating a caramel layer.
YouTube channel Baking Science has proven that this method enhances the taste three times. Blogger Ivan Petrov from "Pirogi na Ura!" made a video: "The filling used to be watery. Now it's candy in dough!"
Secret #4: The oven must lie
"Grandma's pies were baked in a wood-fired oven, where the temperature fluctuates. That's what they used!" says food historian Michael Pollan in Cooked. The sudden change from 220 to 180 degrees creates a crispy crust.
Cuisine at Home magazine recommends: bake at maximum temperature for the first 10 minutes, then reduce. Review from Anton from Krasnodar: "Now the top doesn't burn, and the middle is perfect!"
Secret #5: The Secret Ingredient Is Time
"Modern people are in a hurry. And the dough should "fall asleep," says Yulia Vysotskaya in the program " Eat at Home !" After kneading, wrap it in film and put it in the refrigerator overnight. The gluten will "calm down," and the texture will become flaky.
A study by the Culinary Institute of America found that resting dough improves flavor by 50%. A user at the Povarenok.ru forum wrote: "The dough used to tear. Now it rolls itself out!"
Conclusion
“It’s not magic, it’s science,” laughs chef Joan Chang in an interview with The New York Times . Now you know that the secret to grandma’s pie is in the details that can’t be measured with a spoon or a stopwatch.
Try it, and your loved ones will ask: "Did you invite grandma over?" And if you doubt it, remember the words of Pierre Hermé: "The perfect pie is when the heart writes the recipe and the hands execute it."
