Pie Crust
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt.
Cut in the lard until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add ice water gradually, mixing until the dough holds together.
Shape
Roll out the dough on a floured surface to fit your pie dish.
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
- Forms the structure that holds the crust together as it bakes.
- Lard
- Coats flour particles to keep the crust tender and flaky.
- Ice water
- Hydrates the flour so the dough binds without overworking the gluten.
The step that matters
Add ice water gradually. Too much water or overmixing develops gluten and makes the crust tough, while cold water keeps the fat in small pieces that create flakiness.
“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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