This lard and butter pie crust is light, flaky and perfect for sweet or savory recipes. Make it by hand, or in a food processor, for a quick & easy shortcut!
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Peaches are starting to fill the grocery shelves, and it fills me with a small pang of loss, since we lost our old Reliance peach tree to the winter last year. I loved that old tree, and will so miss canning jar after jar of beautiful peaches from its branches.
We've planted a new tree, but of course we won't have peaches of our own again for a few years yet.
To make myself feel better, I decided to splurge and buy store-bought peaches, and make turnovers with the kids. If a peach turnover won't make you feel better, I don't think anything will.
Thankfully, I just rendered some leaf lard a few weeks ago, and have a good supply of perfectly white, neutral-flavored lard on hand. Because what is pie crust without lard? (Heresy. That's what.)
Lard and butter pie crust is the absolute best
Lard does miraculous things for the texture of a pie crust. It makes a crust that's light, flaky without being crumbly, and easy to work with.
I never make a crust without using lard, if I can help it. BUT, I've always found that a crust made with a combination of butter and lard, beats a crust made with just one or the other, all hollow.
So many pie crust recipes call for unnecessary ingredients, like eggs, vinegar or sugar. The nice thing about a simple butter and lard pie crust is that it just doesn't need anything but the few simple ingredients that are traditional to a pie crust: fat, flour, salt, and water.
This crust lends itself beautifully to a sweet recipe, like our peach turnovers, or any kind of pie you can imagine. And it truly doesn't need sugar to perfectly complement dessert recipes.
But it can just as easily serve as the crust under a savory dish like a deep-dish chicken pie, or this amazing beefsteak pie recipe.
I like getting out my food processor to make pie crust, because it really takes only a few seconds, and the entire task of "making the pie crust" can literally be done in less than five minutes.
If you don't have a food processor, don't be dismayed. It's not hard to mix a pie crust by hand. A pastry cutter is nice to have, but you don't need anything fancier than a bowl and sturdy fork to make this recipe. It's easy. Just keep the butter and ice water cold, and you'll end up with a perfect crust.
Can pie crust be made ahead and refrigerated?
You bet! Store this recipe in the fridge for up to three days before using. If it's been chilled more than a few hours, you may need to let it warm on the counter for about 10 minutes before working with the dough.
Can you freeze pie crust?
Absolutely. Freeze this dough up to three months. To use, allow to thaw slowly in the fridge overnight.
What happens if you don't refrigerate pie crust?
It's always best to rest the dough in the fridge for a little while, before working with it. While you can use it right away, it's easier to work with, and makes a flakier finished crust, if it can relax in the cold for about 30 minutes. If you skip this step, it tends to be a bit crumbly as you're working with it. The final baked crust also is a bit different, with a rougher, more "rustic" exterior, a more intense butter flavor, and a darker finish. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it's generally preferable to refrigerate.
Have any pie crust questions I haven't answered? Let me know in the comments and I'll try to help!
This is our family's go-to pie pastry recipe. It's part of everything from our Christmas and Thanksgiving pies, to spontaneous feel-better peach turnovers. I truly hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Bon Appétit!
Lard and Butter Pie Crust
Equipment
- Food processor, optional
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter , chilled and cut into pieces
- ⅓ cup lard , preferably leaf lard, chilled
- 1 ½ cups einkorn flour , or regular all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp ice-cold water
Instructions
To make this pie crust in a food processor:
- Add flour, salt, butter, and lard to the bowl of the food processor. (If you have a scraper blade attachment, you'll find it helpful for this recipe.)
- Pulse until the mixture looks like slightly damp beach sand, scraping the sides if necessary to make sure all butter and lard are incorporated.
- Add water 1 Tbsp at a time, pulsing after each addition. Depending on your flour, you may find that 3 Tbsp is enough. When dough gathers completely into a ball (or two balls), it's ready.
- Transfer to a covered bowl, or wrap well in plastic wrap, and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using.
To mix this pie crust by hand:
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour and salt until completely mixed.
- Add the lard and butter. Cut together with a pastry cutter or fork, until mixture is dry, crumbly, and thoroughly mixed.
- Slowly add water, 1 Tbsp at a time, mixing well after each addition. Continue working the dough with a pastry cutter or fork until the mixture pulls together into a smooth ball.
- Transfer to a covered bowl, or wrap well in plastic wrap, and let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using.
Notes
- This recipe makes a crust for a one-crust pie. For a two-crust pie, you'll want to double the recipe.
- Store this recipe in the fridge for up to three days before using. If it's been chilled more than a few hours, you may need to let it warm on the counter for about 10 minutes before working with the dough.
- Freeze this dough up to three months. To use, allow to thaw slowly in the fridge overnight.
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