The Great Butter Bake-Off

I'm a purist. When it comes to pie crust only butter will do. Vegetable shortening and margarine have no place in my pantry. I've seen many recipes swear by shortening and its ability to produce a flakier texture due to its high melting point; however, pie crust can vary dramatically, both in taste and texture, depending on the type of butter you use.

Butter is of course, high in fat and cholesterol, but it does have many health benefits. Butter is rich in vitamins A, E, D and K, and other nutrients like lauric acid, which helps fight fungal infections. Perhaps because it's been around for over 4,500 years, all of its nutrients are especially easy for the body to absorb. Plus, butter is just a simpler food source. I consider it the Occam's razor of baking.

Intrigued by some beautiful butter varieties, I decided to do a little experiment with pie crust. I chose five unique varieties of butter, all fairly similar in price range, and created a small pie crust from each, using 1/2 cup of flour and 3 tbsp butter. I tested each butter for its smell, workability, texture, and taste. I also had test subjects grade each crust for taste and texture.

Here are the contestants:

A. Horizon Organic Unsalted Butter
B. Lurpak Danish Butter, Unsalted
C. Pamplie AOC-Designated Charentes-Poitou Butter, Unsalted
D. Ronnybrook Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter
E. Vermont Butter & Cheese Cultured Butter, Lightly Salted

The Results:

For workability, Pamplie (C) and Ronneybrook (D) came together very quickly with the flour. Horizons (A) took the longest to form into dough. Lurpak (B) and the Vermont (E) butter came out in the middle.

Ronneybrook (D) was the easiest to roll out, followed by Pamplie (C). The Vermont (E) tended to crumble but was still moderately easy to roll. Horizons (A) and Lurpak (B) stuck quite a bit to the pin and were the hardest to role.

In its raw form, Lurpak (B) had the brightest smell but they all smelled pretty good.

Horizons (A) had a light and flaky texture with a well-rounded flavor.
Lurpak (B) was very crispy with a nice butter aftertaste.
Pamplie (C) had a great crunch with a warm flavor.
Ronneybrook (D) just melted in your mouth with the brightest flavor.
The Vermont Cultured Butter (E) had a very interesting texture. While it held up nicely, the crust would crumble in your mouth. The flavor was also very bright and intricate.

As for our panel: Ronneybrook (D) was voted the best tasting and most flavorful. The Vermont Cultured Butter (E) was voted to have the best texture, though was said to be "totally different" from the rest with a grainy texture. Horizons (A) came in as a solid standard for pie crust, with the Lurpak (B) and Pamplie (C) considered good but not as flavorful, nor as good in texture as the other three. Everyone was amazed at how substantial the differences were.

If there is a winner to be had here, it's the Ronneybrook butter, made locally (in New York State) at the family owned and operated Ronneybrook Farms. I love it when New York wins. However, all the butters brought something interesting to the table. It just goes to show how one simple ingredient can make a world of difference.