Flaky Pie Crust
Ingredients
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder.
Cut in the lard until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Gradually add cold water, mixing until the dough does not stick to your hands. Be careful not to add too much water to avoid a stiff crust that breaks while rolling out.
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 main structure of the crust as its proteins and starch set when baked.
- Good leaf lard
- Coats flour particles to keep the crust tender and flaky by limiting gluten development.
- Cold water
- Binds the flour and fat into a dough; too much makes the crust tough and stiff.
The step that matters
Adding the cold water. Water hydrates the flour and gluten forms as it is mixed, so adding too much makes the dough stiff and tough, causing it to crack when rolled. Add it gradually and stop once the dough holds together.
“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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