4.9 from 87 votes
Light, Flaky Pie Crust with Lard and Butter
This Light, Flaky Pie Crust combines chilled leaf lard and butter cut into a flour and cornstarch mixture for a tender, crisp pastry. The addition of egg, vinegar, and cold water binds the dough while maintaining flakiness. It can be rolled out for a variety of pie fillings and partially baked as needed.
Prep Time
20 mins
Additional Time
1 hr
Servings:
2
pie crusts
Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
American
Ingredients
- 3 cup (370 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp (7.5 g) cornstarch
- 1 tsp (5 g) salt
- 10 tbsp (128 g) leaf lard or lard, chilled
- 8 tbsp (113 g) butter chilled and cut into small cubes
- 1 egg large
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) white vinegar
- water ice cold
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt in a large mixing bow. Add the leaf lard by the tablespoonful and butter cubes.
- Cut the fats in the flour using dough scrapers or a pastry blender until you get coarse crumbs. When you press the a small portion of mixture together with your fingers, it should hold the shape without falling apart.
- Crack an egg in a glass measuring cup (2 cup, about 480 ml, size), and add vinegar. Pour cold water to measure the liquid to reach 2/3 cup (158 ml) amount. Beat the mixture well.
- Drizzle about 1/2 cup (120 ml) of liquid around the crumb mixture and stir gently with a fork. Add a small amount of liquid on the dry spots and continue stirring until the mixture is slightly moistened. You may not need to use all of the liquid - use just enough to moisten the mixture slightly. Some crumbs are okay.
- When the dough mixture is moistened without being too sticky or dry, dump it on a lightly floured surface. Gather up the dough. Divide the dough in half. (If I am making a double crust pie, I usually make the bottom crust dough to be slightly larger than the top crust portion)
- Form each dough half into a disk and wrap with a piece of plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least 1 hour before you roll out.
Cup of Yum
Rolling out and fluting pie crust
- Whack the pie dough with a rolling pin a few times if the dough seems too hard. Dust the surface with a little flour and start rolling the dough from the center out and rotating a quarter turn. Run your fingers under the dough to loosen it. Dust more flour if the dough feels sticking to the surface, but use as little as possible.
- Roll out into a circle until you get about 13-inches (33 cm) in diameter. This will fit to a standard 9 or 9 1/2 inch (23 cm) pie pan.
- Transfer the pastry to fit into a pan, gently nudging it down the sides of the pan. Lift up the overhanging dough and fold it under. Create the flute by using your thumb and forefinger to make a V pattern. Cover the pie shell with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
- Use chilled leaf lard and butter for maximum flakiness in the crust.
- To par-bake, line the crust with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans; bake at 375°F for 10-12 minutes, then cool before filling.
- A food processor can be used to pulse ingredients for quick dough assembly; add liquids slowly to avoid overmixing.
- Do not overwork the dough; some crumbly texture is acceptable before rolling out to preserve flakiness.