Ok, I know what you’re thinking….
LARD?!?!?!
Yes, lard.
It wasn’t so uncommon back in the day.
You know, before processed crap took over our lives and “they” started telling us how bad butter and lard and saturated fat were for us.
Now we know that butter is so much better for us than margarine.
We know that saturated fat is not the devil and can be very nutritious in things like coconut oil.
I’m certainly not touting lard as a health food by any means, but when you’re making pie crust it’s not like you’re heading down a path of health anyway!
AMIRIGHT???
Pie crust is meant to be filled with indulgent things like cheesy quiche, cherry filling, coconut cream, chocolate pecan filling and pumpkin filling!
Tis the season for eating!
Oh, and being thankful ;)
Although I consider myself to be rather proficient in the kitchen, pie crust has ALWAYS been my nemesis.
I’ve tried multiple recipes and never been completely satisfied with the results. I always struggle with the dough being dry and crumbly. I know the rule of thumb is never to overwork the dough, so I usually do the best I can and end up with an ugly pie that has hard flavorless crust.
It’s been a HUGE bummer for me year after year.
Last year for Thanksgiving I caved and bought frozen piecrust dough and while it was easy to work with, it just didn’t have the homemade flavor I love so much.
Enter this recipe.
My mom brought us a quiche ages ago and while the cheesy broccoli filling was delicious, I found myself being even more into the crust!
It was rich and flakey and full of flavor.
I mean seriously delicious.
When I asked her about it she told me the secret was lard!
I may have been a little skeptical at the time, but when it came time to make pies for this Thanksgiving, I asked her for the recipe.
I bought a big ole tub of lard at Kroger and got to work last night making the dough.
It came together super easy and was an absolute dream to roll out!
This is my go-to crust from here on out. And with the amount of lard I have on hand, I see many a quiche and random weekday pie in my future!
Try it and let me know what you think. I cannot wait to sink my teeth into my pies this year!
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup lard
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract (optional, but nice for a sweet pie vs. savory quiche)
- 6 tablespoons ICE COLD water
- ** MAKES ONE SINGLE CRUST**
- In a medium mixing bowl combine flour and salt and mix well.
- Add ⅓ cup lard and using a pastry cutter or two knives, mix until pea sized crumbs appear.
- Add ice water a tablespoon at a time, using a fork to combine the dough. (You may get by with less than 6 tablespoons which is why adding them one at a time works well)
- Roll dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate a couple of hours or overnight.
- Remove from plastic onto a well floured surface and roll into a circle just larger than your pie plate.
- Carefully lift crust and place into pie plate.
- Crimp edges, tucking excess dough as you go or cutting it off if you prefer.
- Bake according to whatever pie recipe you're using.
- Enjoy!
This recipe is amazing. So delicate and delicious. I used it for Apple dumplings and it was so easy to work with.
I’m happy to see you using Lard for your pie crust. Growing up in the 50s & 60s, I watched my mum making holiday pies with lard and crisco shortening. I have been using lard for quite awhile now. The crust is so flavourful and holds its shape never soggy.
I’m making my 1st pie of the season tomorrow, Apple of course. Pumpkin for Thanksgiving and Lemon Meringue for Christmas.
I will always use lard. I make mine a little different. I use 3cups flour, 8 ounces lard, 3 tablespoons of butter, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/3 cup of very cold milk. Makes a double crust pie.
I have been looking for my grandmother’s pie crust recipe, and yours is the closest. If I remember correctly, hers took 1c. Flour, 1/2 c. Lard,a pinch of salt, and approximately 5 tbls of chilled water, adding to dry ingredients sparingly…one of her keys to perfect crust was kneading the dough not more and not less 5 times only .roll out crust to size and shape, chill the dough til ready to bake..bake at 350 degrees .. don’t over cook.. the initial crust will be flaky, makes one pie crust..the rest of the dough i just roll it out and put butter, cinamon , and sugar, bake it into the sizes you want, and the kids will love you forever, there own little bites. When they got bigger I had them make it for the individual dessert that made them so special.
Is the butter Unsalted? Why do you use some butter instead if all lard? Thank you.
Hello, i’m from France and i have a question .What kind of lard do you use for your pie please? I’t’s bacon or just the fat ? Here we have the fat of duck , i made a pie crust with that , it was very good , but i don’t know if it’s the same.
Thank you. (Hope you understand my English!!)?
We save duck fat for potatoes.
No olive oil bow to lard. In every way. I’m strictly lard. It’s funny, but it’s true. You cooking something that requires olive oil. If your taking deep fried food. Good lucking lard with any thing else
Can this pie dough be doubled for 9″ pie dish? I’ve never been able to make a decent pie dough and I’m 66yrs old, sad to say. My husband is from Louisiana and his Mother was an excellent baker and cook..but she passed before I was able to see her make one. But these ladies from years ago never had recipes they just learned from their Moms. So I’m going to give this recipe a try. Thank you for your recipe.
Betty from N.E. Arkansas
I suggest you google the recipe for Julia Child’s classic pie crust. It is very similar to my Mother’s. Too, King Arthur Baking has an excellent recipe for Double Crust Pie dough.
I grew up on a farm with my grandparents and we rendered are own lard then made many batches of pie dough for freezer to last throughout the winter but I have lost are family recipe which sounds alike yours from what I can remember I am making pies for new year’s dinner and using your recipe thank you
How long will this dough keep in the fridge?
Thanks!
Thank you so much for sharing this. This is the kind of pie crust I grew up with but never knew how to make it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Hi
When making my own crust, I used a little less water, added a touch of baking powder, and at times added a T spoon of apple cider vinegar. Give these a try to see if enhance your crust.
:)
I use much less ice water than recipe says too.
Yes, less water. I added more flour after putting in 6T water.
I really like this recipe in place of my butter recipe. …it’s so nice and soft and still I think flakey. …which is especially a blessing in a double crusted pie….or refigerated pie or etc.
Great recipe. I used it for beef pot pie without sugar.
I’m amazed how few people know how to bake or cook from scratch. The food is healthier, tastier and less expensive…all it costs besides the ingredients is time, know-how and give a darn.Thanks for the recipe.
Gluten free version???
Not clear how much this makes. One crust?
I just updated the recipe…thanks for the comment! It makes one single crust.
hopefully this is a 10 inch dear one or 8″ or 9″ pease tell me as I will double it for two 10″ but i’m thinking it’s for smaller 8 or 9″ crusts? Also what about adding that white or apple cider vinegar for more flakiness in amt of 1 tsp. cuz i’ll not use the 6 TBL of H20 based on these recviews. Thank you for your expeditious reply on this MY THANKSGIVING PIE Prep and making DAY!! Happy ThanksGivibg to You and Yours too!
Best crust recipe I’ve found. Just like the one used to use when I was little. Very flaky, never used vanilla in crust before, but it is awesome. Only recipe I will ever use now. Very easy to make, always turns out amazing.
What temp do you bake pies,at generally?
Hi Rebecca, Excellent recipe, my mother used lard too. She made excellent pie. She added a teaspown of vinegar …she said it made it very flakey? Maybe you have tried this? .
It turned out really good..do actually what the recipe says..I only needed 4 tablespoons of ice cold water. A very soft dough
O.M.G. this looks amazing. I was just griping to my cousin that my homemade pie crust never comes out moist and flavorful.
I’m going to attempt this recipe this week. I have a perfect broccoli cheese quiche to try it on.
Natural lard actually has less saturated fat than butter; it is closer to monounsaturated olive oil.