Pie Crust with Hot Water
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Pour hot water over lard and mix well.
Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.
Make and shape
Slowly pour the lard and water mixture into the flour while stirring with a spoon.
Chill slightly before shaping into pies.
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 it is mixed with liquid.
- Lard
- Coats the flour particles, keeping the crust tender and limiting gluten development.
- Hot water
- Melts the lard and moistens the flour so the dough holds together.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas that lifts the crust, giving it a lighter texture.
The step that matters
Slowly pour the lard and water mixture into the flour while stirring. Adding the liquid gently and stirring only until combined keeps the dough from being overworked. Overmixing develops gluten, which makes the crust tough rather than tender.
“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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