Knowledge Base > Fran Costigan - Refreshing Fruit Desserts
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Fran Costigan - Refreshing Fruit Desserts
This event was on
Tuesday, July 16, 2024 at 1:00 pm Pacific, 4:00 pm Eastern
Join Chef Fran Costigan, Rouxbe Director of Vegan Pastry, for an enticing, interactive presentation in which she will explore the vibrant world of summer fruit desserts! From juicy b… Read More.
Question:
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Can I make flaky pie crusts that are vegan?
— Patricia Freedman
Answer:
And so the answer is absolutely you can, you have to follow the same techniques to make of vegan pie crust that you would if you were making a pie crust that was made with butter. You have to measure very accurately the fat, whether it is vegan butter, coconut oil, or in the case of the recipe in essential vegan desserts, a liquid oil has to be very cold. You incorporate the fat into the flour and then some liquid little bit of vinegar in the water because that's going to help tamp down the amount of gluten that is formed. And then you don't wanna overmix and you rest the dough three times. So I think the photo of the pie crust unfilled that you saw really is the answer. Yes, you can make a flaky pie crust. Now, people ask me sometimes why in essential vegan desserts, the recipe at the pie unit calls for using a cold oil instead of vegan butter. Well, using vegan butter, you know, not everybody can find vegan butter or wants to use it. We also have a recipe for making it if, if anybody wants to do that. But you know, you're essentially doing the same thing that you would do if you're making a pie crust with jerry butter. And I think there's more learning to be had when you're using the oil. So just remember you have to follow the same rules and cold ingredients don't handle too much, but handle enough. And after you've made the dough, it rests after you've rolled out the dough, it rests and I mean it rests in the refrigerator after you've pressed the crust, it rests. So it sounds like a lot of work. It's just time. That's all.
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