Pie Crust -- What's Your Secret?

Your recipe sounds like mine, which was my grandmas. Tricks I've learned over the years.

Lard makes an incredible crust, better than all butter IMO

the dough should just come together when pressed

everything should be very cold and you want it to stay that way

don't over mix or roll the dough too much

don't use too much flour when rolling out

let the dough rest in the fridge for about an hour before rolling out

Cut the cold fats into the flour just enough

oh and when putting the crust into the pie pan, don't stretch it. Lay it in loosely so it naturally fills the pan. If you stretch, it shrinks when cooked.

Thank you for all the wonderful tips, jaxs mom! I have heard that lard makes great crust, but I don't keep lard and don't have any idea where to buy it. Have you ever made pie crust ahead of time and frozen it?

On 11/22/2014 jaxs mom said:

Your recipe sounds like mine, which was my grandmas. Tricks I've learned over the years.

Lard makes an incredible crust, better than all butter IMO

the dough should just come together when pressed

everything should be very cold and you want it to stay that way

don't over mix or roll the dough too much

don't use too much flour when rolling out

let the dough rest in the fridge for about an hour before rolling out

Cut the cold fats into the flour just enough

oh and when putting the crust into the pie pan, don't stretch it. Lay it in loosely so it naturally fills the pan. If you stretch, it shrinks when cooked.

Sounds similar to how my mom made her pastry crusts and they were wonderful. Mine are just okay in comparison, she had "the touch". My mom normally used crisco shortening instead of butter, again kept very cold. She would cut the shortening in with a knife and do everything by hand, no food processors, and always told me that you had to feel the pastry. She never used vinegar and she used very little water, she would add just enough to bind it by the tablespoon and it had to be ice cold. If your dough is sticking to your rolling pin it might have too much water in it. Like jaxs mom mentioned, don't use too much flour when rolling it out, and overworking your pastry will cause it to be dense and heavy instead of light and flaky. There is definitely an art to making good pie crusts.

jaxs mom nailed it!

I learned from my grandmother and she used lard, too. I went back to using lard a couple of years ago. You can get processed lard at the grocer in a 1lb container. Processed lard doesn't have to be refrigerated so it may be on the shelf near the shortening in the baking aisle. Lard at the butcher is unprocessed so it should be refrigerated but it's superior to the store brand.

Try changing your butter to a good quality butter if you don't want to use lard. I bought some cheap butter and it had soooo much water content that my baking wasn't coming out right.

You can freeze a pie crust made with lard and you can freeze the lard itself. Also makes for great biscuits!

On 11/22/2014 Vamp said:

Thank you for all the wonderful tips, jaxs mom! I have heard that lard makes great crust, but I don't keep lard and don't have any idea where to buy it. Have you ever made pie crust ahead of time and frozen it?

No I haven't. I like to do my pastry fresh.

On 11/22/2014 Snowpuppy said:

jaxs mom nailed it!

I learned from my grandmother and she used lard, too. I went back to using lard a couple of years ago. You can get processed lard at the grocer in a 1lb container. Processed lard doesn't have to be refrigerated so it may be on the shelf near the shortening in the baking aisle. Lard at the butcher is unprocessed so it should be refrigerated but it's superior to the store brand.

Try changing your butter to a good quality butter if you don't want to use lard. I bought some cheap butter and it had soooo much water content that my baking wasn't coming out right.

You can freeze a pie crust made with lard and you can freeze the lard itself. Also makes for great biscuits!

Yes, lard is shelf stable, but I always store mine in the fridge so it's ready to use for baking. I use lard in biscuits too.

Pie Crust -- What's Your Secret?

My first reaction was "the grocery store for a pre-made one"! I do use them from time to time.

But in all seriousness, I've been making my own pie crust for years and it's good, but it's not quite how I really want it to be. So I'm glad you asked this question because I will be very interested in any tips to get mine "just right".

Using a pastry blender instead of a food processor will make a flakier crust.

I blend my pastry by hand using a pastry blender, never a food processor.

Jules, my mom is a master pie crust maker as well, and she uses Crisco, too. I would prefer not to use it, but I am going to experiment a little. My mom also uses the pastry blender, then gets her hands in the dough and finishes the job that way, so I have been trying that. I guess I just need to keep at it until I find my touch.

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions! You've been a great help