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Dessert

Pie Crust

A basic pie crust made with flour, lard, salt, and cold water.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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Pie Crust

Oven, in the book's wordsA hot oven

Ingredients

Directions

The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.

Prepare the dough

  1. Mix and sift the flour and salt.

  2. Rub in the lard.

  3. Add cold water a few drops at a time.

  4. Lift the dough with a knife as it forms.

  5. Handle the dough lightly.

  6. Use only enough water to keep the flour together.

  7. Gather the dough into two smooth rounds without squeezing.

Roll the crusts

  1. Pat out the dough on a floured board.

  2. Turn the dough over.

  3. Roll it with a floured rolling pin.

  4. Roll the dough in both directions.

  5. Turn it to prevent sticking.

  6. Roll the crusts large enough to extend slightly beyond the edge of the pan.

Fill and bake

  1. Fit the lower crust into the tin.

  2. Ensure no air is trapped underneath.

  3. Moisten the edge of the lower crust.

  4. Fill the pie with your desired filling.

  5. Roll out the top crust.

  6. Cut perforations for steam to escape.

  7. Fit the top crust onto the pie.

  8. Press it down on the moist edge of the lower crust.

  9. Trim the edges.

  10. Bake in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C).

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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

Flour
Forms the structure of the crust once mixed with water and fat.
Lard
Fat rubbed into flour, creating tender, flaky layers as it stays separate from the gluten.
Cold water
Binds the flour into a dough; just enough keeps the crust tender rather than tough.

The step that matters

Handle the dough lightly and use only enough water. Overworking or adding too much water lets gluten develop, making the crust tough instead of tender and flaky. Cold fat and minimal handling keep the layers distinct.

“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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