Can we use frozen butter for scones, biscuits and the likes?

I saw a tip from Food Network saying to grate frozen butter for pie crust. This seems like a neat idea. You just need to mix it with flour. However, I'm not sure whether freezing butter will not affect the end result. Any thought about this?

wietje
  • Posted by: wietje
  • September 8, 2012
  • 5889 views
  • 6 Comments

6 Comments

minibakersupreme
minibakersupreme September 8, 2012
Butter is totally fine in the freezer. If I'm trying to get ahead at work, I'll chop up all my butter in advance, wrap it well, and throw it in the freezer.
 
Sam1148
Sam1148 September 8, 2012
Also replace 1/2 of the water with 1/2 vodka. The vodka won't show up as a taste, but allows you to superchill the water in the freezer without forming ice cystals before making a pie dough.
 
wietje
wietje September 8, 2012
Great, and thanks. Now I will certainly try it out.
 
Reiney
Reiney September 8, 2012
Absolutely, the colder the better - no elbow grease required though! You don't want to overwork the dough (or knead the butter in that much) or you'll end up with a tougher and more chewy product.
 
darksideofthespoon
darksideofthespoon September 8, 2012
Also to keep you dough cold for the butter to stay frozen I also put my flour, bowl, pie plate, pin, pastry scraper, pastry cutter in the freezer. And ice cubes in the water if you're making a crust is a nice touch.
 

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darksideofthespoon
darksideofthespoon September 8, 2012
Awww maaaaann... I thought grating butter was my special secret. But yes, it gives you a wonderful flakey end result! It just takes a lot of elbow grease but it's worth it.
 
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