Pastry Science: Weekly Science Activity

By Amy Cowen on December 26, 2014 8:00 AM

Explore the science of pie crust and the role of temperature in the process / Hand-on STEM experiment

In this week's spotlight: a food science activity that may fit right in with any baking you have planned for the season. Are pies on your family's list of favorites or traditions this time of year? How do you like your crust? Does your mouth water for a flaky crust on a homemade pie? In this kitchen science experiment, families can explore the role of fats—and the temperature of the fat—on the texture of a pie crust. When you get ready to mix up a crust, do you take the fat straight from the refrigerator? Or do you set it out ahead of time to warm up to room temperature first? Or do you melt it? What difference will the temperature make on how flaky the crust is? Once you know the science behind the crust, you may never approach pie crust making the same again!