Why did my pie crust leak butter significantly during baking?

I LOVE Erin McDowell and made both her puff pastry and pie crust this Christmas. I have been baking pies for years with varied success. I tried her flaky butter crust for fruit pies. I was confused by the instruction to leave the butter chunks the size of walnut halves. I did leave the butter chunks much larger than usual. When I baked the pies the butter melted out of the crust significantly (smoke everywhere!). The final result was crisp and more like phyllo dough. Any thoughts? I did chill then rolled out and froze the dough for a few days prior to baking. Thawed overnight in fridge before baking ( in case you think that had a bearing). I would really appreciate your thoughts. Thank you

Bethdobbing
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2 Comments

Jess J.
Jess J. July 20, 2023
I have this problem as well and in searching for answers, I noticed Erin answered this question on her instagram, deep in her saved story 'pie lights #2'. She says it could be either a temperature issue or fat issue. For temperature, "the pie dough should be well chilled when it goes into the oven (at least 30 minutes after shaping)". For fat, "the fat must be coated fully with flour/dough at all times". In my case, I think it may be a combo of the two issues. Hopefully will have more success with the next bake!
 
Lori T.
Lori T. December 26, 2020
I suspect the culprit lies in the size of the butter chunks left in the pastry dough. I know Erin says to leave lumps the size of walnut halves, but the best I can figure, her walnuts must be significantly smaller than the ones I get. I stop at pea size because otherwise it's just too much melted butter in any one spot for the flour around it to absorb fast enough to prevent leakage. Actually, I prefer to use a technique known as fraisage, which leaves thinner layers instead of lumps in my pie pastry dough. It is also possible you rolled the dough a bit thinner than expected, which is why you ended up with a more phyllo dough result than pie crust.
 
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