| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr 45 min |
| Active: | 15 min |
| Yield: | two 9- or 10-inch pie crusts, enough for one double-crust pie |
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon fine seat salt
- 6 ounces rendered leaf lard, cold, cut into cubes
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
- 4 to 6 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the lard and the butter, and cut them in with a pastry blender until the larger pieces are the size of peas and the mixture begins to clump on the pastry blender. Shuffle through the mixture with your hands, pinching chunks of lard to flatten them.
- Add 4 tablespoons of the ice water and mix with a fork. Pinch a clump of dough in your hands: If it feels moist and clumps together easily, it’s probably hydrated enough. If it feels really crumbly, add another tablespoon or two of ice water until you can form a baseball-size clump of dough, packing it on as if you were making a snowball. You want to mix the dough as little as possible to ensure it stays tender.
- Divide the dough in half and form each half into a flat disk. Wrap both disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
- Thirty minutes before you’re ready to roll out the dough, remove it from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature to soften.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 2 servings |
| Calories | 1448 |
| Total Fat | 93 g |
| Saturated Fat | 46 g |
| Carbohydrates | 132 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 13 g |
| Protein | 18 g |
| Cholesterol | 124 mg |
| Sodium | 709 mg |
Reviews
Yes, Bari! Can’t imagine why scolding is appropriate for ignorance of an ingredient. It should be fun trying new recipes with unknown ingredients.
I’m fortune to have local source of real leaf lard. Agree the addition of butter adds flavor. I’ve used this recipe many times. But, have to admit like most pie crust, the amount of water can be tricky.
I’m fortune to have local source of real leaf lard. Agree the addition of butter adds flavor. I’ve used this recipe many times. But, have to admit like most pie crust, the amount of water can be tricky.
Made this crust today using leaf lard from my neighbors’ pastured pigs — the crust is amazing, like shortbread.
This came out perfectly! I think my butter was a bit too frozen, so it didn’t incorporate all that well, but even still, wow! I used about 2 tbls. of vodka to make the crust a little more binding without compromising the stability of the crust.
Somebody here said “yuck” without even tasting the finished result. Wow. Older members of my family (including me) have fond memories of how excellent my great-grandmother’s pies were. Three generations followed her recipes to a “T”, and they NEVER tasted like hers. A lot was “unstated” back in those old-time recipes, because people used what they had on the farm/locally. I ran across an article two years ago about the use of leaf lard in biscuits/pie crusts. I tried it . . . and THAT IS EXACTLY what made my great-grandmother’s pies AMAZING!!! The 2014 Holiday baking season blew away family and friends, caused massive reminiscing about loved ones and traditions long-gone, and even a few mild threats if I didn’t turn over the “secret”. Remember . . . ingredients a few generations ago were real and natural – not processed or man-made. It makes a difference in flavor (and probably in health as well).
Side note on the recipe – what I like about this one is the incorporation of the butter with the leaf lard. In my humble opinion, it takes just enough of the edge off of the pork flavor to keep it from being too obvious. Thank you Amy.
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/amy-thielen/leaf-lard-crust.html?oc=linkback
Why would you list “leaf lard” and NOT explain it? I’m 61 yrs old, have been baking for 49 yrs and I had to search it. Read it, and YUK…
Ever since I learned that shortening is a synthesized ingredient, i have been looking for a pie crust recipe using real food ingredients. Thanks Amy!
Best crust, best flavor ! We loved it