Tip Friday The Perfect Crust

The Perfect Pie Crust

Pie crust can be made with a variety of fats, from shortening, to the classic lard. Butter and shortening are also a great combination. Use vegetable oil for an extra easy, vegan crust.

When you want to impress your guests with your pies follow one of these 4 suggestions!

Pie Crust with Shortening

Shortening makes for a tender, flaky crust and is often preferred for this reason. It is also easy to work with, because it doesn’t melt as quickly as some other fats. Do keep in mind that recipes can also be made with a combination of butter and shortening.

Pie Crust with Butter

If you like the taste of a butter crust, substitute cold butter cut into 1/2-inch pieces, for half of the shortening called for in your recipe. The milkfats in butter will also help the crust brown nicely.

Pie Crust With Lard

Throughout American history, lard has been used to make pie crust pastry. Lard was easy to come by when more Americans lived on farms and using leftover pork product was an economical way to make pies before butter and shortening were as readily available as they are today. Throughout the 20th century, our eating habits changed drastically, and lard fell out of fashion, especially as alternatives, like shortening were introduced around mid-century. Recently, however, lard has seen a resurgence. If you have lard on hand, try swapping it in for the shortening called for in your recipe. As both lard and shortening are solid fats, the pastry should turn out fine. However as with any substitution, you may notice a slight change in the texture and flavor of your pie crust.

Pie Crust with Oil aka Vegan Crust

If you wish to make a vegan pie or are just in a hurry, a crust made with vegetable oil is perfect. No rolling is needed for this crust and because of its texture, it should be used for pies that have a bottom crust only.

I hope you found these types of crust useful! Enjoy.

Most images in my Tip Friday Series use free stock photos.

This article is part of the Tips That Help in the Kitchen Series, Tip Friday.