Pie dough - uh oh

[tiffany]

So I made a few pie doughs and stuck 2 in the freezer for future use. The other day, I took one out to thaw on the counter and accidentally left it out all day (~8 hours). When I remembered, I threw it back in the fridge but now have reservations about using it.

Should I still use it or would it be better to toss it out? If I use it, will the dough be extra tough from the gluten (or whatever) developing at room temp?

And not that it would make any difference (I think), but I used the deluxe butter pie pastry recipe from Joy of Cooking.

Thanks in advance!!!

[babette feasts]

I wouldn't worry about it, unless your room temperature is so warm that the butter would have melted - that would affect your dough's flakiness. Gluten develops from kneading flour and liquid, sitting on the counter won't affect that, and your butter is unlikely to go rancid in 8 hours. After all, it was still frozen for the first hour or two, and butter is expensive!

[JockY]

I agree. After just 8 hours there's nothing to worry about.