Pie Crust
Ingredients
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the flour, lard, and salt.
Using your hands, rub the ingredients together until well mixed.
Gradually add cold water, mixing just enough to form a dough that can be rolled out easily.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the main structure of the crust once hydrated and worked into dough.
- Lard
- Coats flour particles to shorten gluten and gives the crust a tender, flaky texture.
The step that matters
Adding the cold water. Adding water gradually and mixing only until the dough holds together limits gluten development, which keeps the crust tender rather than tough. Cold water keeps the lard solid so it forms flakes when baked.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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