Old World Sourdough
Pie Crust
Light and Flaky Crust. Made with Lard and Butter. Perfection every time!!
Pie Crust
Prep Time:
20 minutes + 30 minutes of chill time
Cook Time:
10 - 12 minutes (Par Bake)
Serves:
2 Pie Crusts
Ingredients
Ingredients:
3 Cup all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 Teaspoon salt
10 Tablespoon lard
8 Tablespoon butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
1 egg
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
ice cold water
Preparation
INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk together flour, cornstarch, salt in a large mixing bowl.
Add the lard by the tablespoonful and butter cubes.
Cut the fats in the flour using dough scrapers or a pastry blender until you get coarse crumbs. When you press the a small portion of mixture together with your fingers, it should hold the shape without falling apart.
Crack an egg in a glass measuring cup (2 cup size), and add vinegar. Pour cold water to measure the liquid to reach 2/3 cup amount. Beat the mixture well.
Drizzle about 1/2 cup of liquid around the crumb mixture and stir gently with a fork. Add more liquid on the dry spots in small amounts. You might not need the entire liquid – use just enough to moisten the mixture slightly. Some crumbs are okay.
When the dough mixture is moistened without being too sticky or dry, dump it on a lightly floured surface.
Gather up the dough. Divide the dough in half. (If I am making a double crust pie, I usually make the bottom crust dough to be slightly larger than the top crust portion)
Form each dough half into a disk and wrap with a piece of plastic wrap.
Chill the dough for at least 1 hour before you roll out.
ROLLING OUT AND FLUTING PIE CRUST
Dust the surface with a little flour and start rolling the dough from the center out and rotating a quarter turn.
Run your fingers under the dough to loosen it. Dust more flour if the dough feels sticking to the surface, but use as little as possible.
Roll out into a circle until you get about 13-inchs in diameter. This will fit to a standard 9 or 9 1/2 inch pie pan.
Transfer the pastry to fit into a pan, gently nudging it down the sides of the pan.
Lift up the overhanging dough and fold it under.
Create the flute by using your thumb and forefinger to make a V pattern.
Cover the pie shell with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes:
Tips to make a flaky and favorful crust every time:
Cold temperature: Cold butter, lard, flour, egg, water (ice water) keeps the pie dough cold and easy to work with.
Egg and vinegar: The trick to make pie crust light and flaky on top of lard and butter is using a mixture of egg and vinegar. Egg makes the dough more pliable and easy to roll out. Pie crust with vinegar has been a well kept secret for many avid bakers for a tenderer and flakier pie.
Chill the pie dough before you roll out: Chilling hardens the fat in the dough, and helps maintain its structure as it bakes. It also prevents a tough crust.
Don't overwork the dough: Overworking the dough makes the crust tough. Also, if rolling out takes too long, the fats will start to loosen and the crust will become sticky. You want to work fast as you roll out the dough to maintain the cold temperature. I still use the wood rolling pin I have had for years and years, but have been told that there is less sticking with a marble rolling pin.
Keep pie crust chilled: Chill the crust in the refrigerator once in the tin. Chilled crust holds its fluted shape better.
Par Bake the bottom crust: Carefully lift the crust into a pie dish then line the crust with foil or parchment paper, filling with pie weights (or dried beans or rice). Then bake the pie crust at 375˚F for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the weights and let the crust cool until ready to use. This prevents the crust from getting soggy.
Pie Plate vs Pie Tin: If I am not serving from the plate I will sometimes use a metal pie tin. But, presentation is everything. I prefer baking in a pie plate. I have a few different ones to select from based on what I am baking. Quiche I like a white plate, Apple Pie screams red, plus I have a few clear pie plates as well. Another fun option is to bake individual pies!