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A close-up shot of a slice of peach pie, showing the flaky laters of the pastry

Flaky Pastry with Butter and Lard

This butter and lard-based pastry creates a flavourful and flaky pie crust. Just keep the dough cool (and keep your cool too) and before you know it, you'll be turning out pies like nobody's business. This recipe makes enough for one double-crust pie. You can use this pasty for a sweet or savoury pie.

Category Dessert, main
Keyword butter and lard flaky pastry, butter and lard pie crust, flaky pie crust
Prep Time 20 minutes
Chilling Time (at least) 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 1 double-crust pie
Author ©Marlene Cornelis/IUrban Cottage Life 2020

Ingredients

  • 21/3 cups flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup butter, cold
  • 1/2 cup lard, cold
  • 1 egg, cold
  • 2 tsp vinegar
  • 2 tbsp water, very cold

How To Make This Recipe

  1. Stir the flour and salt together in a large bowl.

  2. Cut the butter and lard into cubes and add them to the flour. Using a pastry cutter or your cool hands, work quickly to cut the fats into the flour, until the mixture forms large crumbs (about the size of peas).

  3. Briskly stir the egg and vinegar together in a glass or small dish, and stir lightly into the flour and fat mixture using a fork. Add the first tablespoon of cold water and continue to lightly stir the dough. Add more water if needed so the dough just holds together when you pinch a dollop.

  4. Quickly pull the dough together into a large ball. Divide it in half and lightly pat each half into a disk with smooth edges (don't fuss to much about that). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to an hour or so.

  5. To roll out the dough, lightly flour your surface, the top and bottom of the disk you're working with, and the rollling pin. Quickly roll the dough from the centre to the outside, rotating it aas you go. When it's about half the size you're looking for, lightly flour the top of the dough again, as well as the rolling pin if needed. Flip the over and continue to roll until it's the desired size.

    When all is going as it should, the dough won't get cracks, but sometimes it does (yup, for me too). You can push the cracked edges together and maybe patch them with a little more pastry if need be.

  6. To put the dough into the pie pan, loosely roll the dough about 2/3 of the way onto the rolling pin. Lift the dough and postition the hanging part of it over the back of the pie plate. Then unroll the rest of the dough over the pan.

  7. Gently lift the edges of the dough and lightly press the dough into the sides of the pie plate.

  8. Work quickly to prepare the top crust in the same way. Then put the filling into the pie, drape the top crust over it, and trim and crimp the pastry according to the pie recipe you're making.