Pie Crust
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
In a bowl, combine the flour, lard, and salt.
Mix the lard into the flour lightly.
Add cold water gradually until the dough holds together without being too stiff or too wet.
Shape the crust
Knead the dough as little as possible.
Roll out the dough gently to avoid overworking it.
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.
- Lard
- Coats flour particles to keep the crust tender and flaky.
- Cold water
- Binds the flour and fat into a dough that holds together.
The step that matters
Knead the dough as little as possible. Working flour with water develops gluten, which makes pastry tough. Minimal handling and cold ingredients keep the fat in distinct pieces, producing a tender, flaky crust.
“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.
More pie crust recipes
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.