Lard and Butter Pie Crust
This lard and butter pie crust is the flaky, tender, flavorful piecrust you’ve longed for but may not have had the nerve to make.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, stashed in the freezer until cold
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 13 tablespoons (6 1/2 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch (12-mm) cubes
- 8 tablespoons (4 oz) cold lard, cut into 1/2-inch (12-mm) cubes
- 4 to 6 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- In a food processor fitted with metal blade, combine the flour, salt, and sugar.
- Toss in the butter cubes and process with five 1-second pulses.
- Toss the cold lard into the processor and continue pulsing until the butter is no larger than the size of peas and the flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal, about four 1-second pulses. Dump the flour mixture into a medium bowl.
- Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of ice water over the flour mixture. Working quickly, use a fork to fluff and mix thoroughly. Squeeze a handful of dough—if it doesn’t stick together, add the remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Handling the dough as little as possible, divide it into 2 balls, one slightly larger than the other. Flatten each portion of dough into 6-inch discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- On a lightly floured work surface, roll each portion of dough to slightly larger than your pie plate. Carefully drape the slightly smaller portion of dough in the plate. If desired, prick the bottom crust with the tines of a fork, if desired.
- Fill with your favorite pie filling recipe, top with the remaining portion of dough and crimp the edges. Trim any excess dough that hangs over the edge. Freeze the unbaked pie for up to several weeks or transfer it to the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking according to your recipe. Originally published January 9, 2002.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 portionCalories: 214 kcalCarbohydrates: 22 gProtein: 3 gFat: 13 gSaturated Fat: 8 gMonounsaturated Fat: 3 gTrans Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 33 mgSodium: 305 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 2 g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Recipe © 2002 Cook’s Illustrated. Photo © 2019 Lynne Ann Mitchell. All rights reserved.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
This was one of the best pie crusts I’ve ever tasted. It was also one of the easiest to make. With this recipe in your arsenal, you’ll always get great compliments on your pies.
Decided at the ripe old age of 72 it was time to start making my own pie crusts. Can’t wait to try this recipe. I love pie and I love butter. Will let you know how it turns out. Will load up a picture of the pie when done tonight. Loved reading all of the comments.
Thanks, Sharon. We can’t wait to hear how it goes.
Just out of the oven.
It looks pretty flakey . . . was it?
OMG, you guys, I have such pie crust anxiety–probably because my grandmother was the master of it and I just don’t make pies all that often. Today, in a nod to Grandma Rose, I decided to make her French-Canadian tourtiere (which she served on New Year’s Day), and which I’ve made before, but usually with an all-butter crust. I decided to try this one because… pork + lard… seemed like the thing to do. But the recipe does not tell you what to *do* with the lard–“toss it in? I love you guys and the recipes are always quite well written, but this stymied me. I didn’t want to toss in a 4-oz. chunk of frozen lard, so I cut it into several pieces before placing them in the food processor. But they barely incorporated at all. I had to cut them manually. Then, it took 9 tablespoons of water to make a dough that only barely came together. It’s in the fridge now, where I’m leaving it until I get my courage back. But can you tell me what I’m doing/not doing here? I’m usually a pretty fearless cook, but pie crust gets me every time. Help?
I hear you, Suzanne! It has taken me years to get over my pie crust anxiety! I think part of your issue was using frozen lard. You want it to be cold, but not frozen, which was probably why it didn’t incorporate as well. Did you weigh your flour? If you were a bit heavy-handed, that may also have contributed to the dryness of the dough. Do keep us posted on how it turns out.
Hi Angie:
I didn’t weigh the flour, as the recipe doesn’t indicate any. However, I suspect I was on the light side, as I use the scoop method and the dough, once it rested in the fridge, was probably wet. It was pretty challenging to work with, but I just patched it where necessary and put the finished pie in the freezer for a few minutes while waiting for the oven to come to temp. Perhaps I misread one of the comments, where Renee mentioned that she keeps her lard in the freezer. Anyway, the pie just came out of the oven, so I’ll report back after we taste it!
Fingers crossed, Suzanne!