Science makes pies and avocados better

Abstract

Easy as pie Expert pie makers transform flour, water, and fat into light, buttery flakes of pastry. The process is simple but difficult to perfect. Adding water to flour creates gluten, a network of wheat proteins that acts as a scaffold maintaining the pie’s structure. But too much gluten renders the crust tough. Matthew Hartings, an American University chemist, author of Chemistry in Your Kitchen , and member of C&EN’s advisory board, says making a good pie crust requires breaking links between gluten proteins with globs of fat. “It helps with the flakiness,” he tells Newscripts. “You’re making tiny little pockets of gluten.” The fat must be globbed. If it spreads out evenly, the dough will be homogeneous and less flaky. That means bakers must be careful not to melt the butter or shortening with their warm hands. Julie Pollock, a chemist at the University of Richmond, says vegetable shortening