Corn starch in my pie dough finally stopped the shrinking crust

Every tart and pie I made came out with a crust that pulled away from the pan and looked wavy. I tried chilling longer, resting the dough, even letting it sit overnight in the fridge. Last Saturday I swapped 2 tablespoons of flour for corn starch in my go-to dough recipe. The difference was immediate, the edges held their shape through blind baking at 375. I used a ceramic pie dish from my aunt's old set, nothing fancy. The crust still flaked nice and didn't crumble when I cut it. Has anyone else tried starch substitutes in their pastry, or do you just stick with straight flour? I'm curious if potato starch works even better.

2 comments

2 Comments

the_faith18d ago

That 2 tablespoon swap is interesting because it’s such a small amount that makes a big difference. So if the corn starch is mostly cutting gluten, does that mean the ratio matters more than the type of starch? I have a bag of potato starch sitting in my pantry from a soup recipe, and I’m wondering if I’d need the same 2 tablespoons or less since it’s heavier. Also, did you notice any change in how the dough felt when you rolled it out? I ask because I’ve had rice flour make my pastry a bit more crumbly before, and I’d like to know if corn starch avoids that issue.

jason_knight18d ago

Not to nitpick, but swapping corn starch for flour is more about lowering the gluten, not the starch itself. Potato starch would probably work too since it has no gluten either. I've used rice flour before with similar luck, so you're on the right track.