Pie Crusts from scratch

[MICKIMINI]

Not popular, however if you want it to taste like it did when you were a kid, use lard. A baker who supplied a local New Hampshire country store told me years ago that his donuts were fried in lard. Everyone marveled at the great taste...just sayin'.

 

[Willow Ufgood]

I've never been able to make a good pie crust using Crisco ever since they removed the trans fats. Lard is best, butter is my second choice but it tends to brown too much if I'm blind baking the shell.

 

[lilmc]

I stopped using Crisco years ago, just too unhealthy, I used this now https://www.spectrumorganics.com/product/organic-all-vegetable-shortening/

 

[ronandannette]

The section called "Fat and Flour" in the second article I cited goes into that exact issue. It isn't just a matter of the type of fat you use, but also how you mix it with the flour. Here's an excerpt (but the whole section is informative):

It’s not just the chunks of fat that create flakiness. It’s also the uncoated flour that mixes with water and forms gluten that guarantees a flaky crust. This explained the failure of the test in which I combined all the flour with some of the butter, then added grated butter to the dough. You need at least some flour that hasn’t been coated with butter in the dough in order to create the gluten layers that form flakes.

That's probably all true, but my great grandmother, grand mother and mother wouldn't have known any of it. They just followed the simple, time-tested method for making crust, as do I. I highly recommend not over-thinking it and just doing the steps exactly as described in most simple recipes:
Combine flour, salt and sugar (if using). Work cold lard/shortening/butter in until just combined with many small lumps remaining. Add liquid just to moisten to the shaggy-dough stage, without over-mixing. Chill briefly and roll with as little added flour as possible.

 

[NYCgrrl]

The section called "Fat and Flour" in the second article I cited goes into that exact issue. It isn't just a matter of the type of fat you use, but also how you mix it with the flour.

Yep, that’s right!

 

[gmi3804]

Yep, that’s right!

I suspect PP was overmixing the fat and flour. It really has to look crumbly and just holding together before you gently coax it into a round and roll it out as gently as possible. You should be able to see the small butter pieces in the rolled out crust. It also helps to refrigerate the crust again to enable the butter to solidify once again before filling and baking.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

My grandmother made the most incredible pie crusts. The only person that's ever been able to replicate it was my uncle, and he passed several years ago. I believe the trick was lard. I'm feeling like this may be the year that I'm up to the challenge, so I currently have lard on my shopping list.

 

[_19disnA]

Most old-time recipes for pie crust used lard (i.e. animal fat) which most people now don't use due to healthier eating styles. Crisco changed their formula a number of years ago to eliminate the trans-fats which are also unhealthy. Crisco your grandmother might have used is not the same product anymore. If using a very old recipe, need to comprehend how those ingredients have changed over the years.

 

[gmi3804]

Most old-time recipes for pie crust used lard (i.e. animal fat) which most people now don't use due to healthier eating styles. Crisco changed their formula a number of years ago to eliminate the trans-fats which are also unhealthy. Crisco your grandmother might have used is not the same product anymore. If using a very old recipe, need to comprehend how those ingredients have changed over the years.

The irony is that lard, a natural product, is healthier than Crisco, a manufactured product. And by healthier, I don't mean "healthy." Everything in moderation, right? Just make sure it's natural/whole wherever possible.