Classic Butter and Lard Pie Crust

This classic recipe for a butter and lard pie crust is easy to make with just a few simple ingredients. Works for both sweet and savory pies.

4.60 from 10 votes

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Course: Dessert Recipes

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20

Additional Time: 2

Total Time: 2 20

Servings: Single Crusts

Calories: 180kcal

Author: Dolly {Little Home in the Making}

Ingredients

Instructions

Cook Mode

Add the flour and salt to a medium-sized bowl and whisk to combine.
Prepare a bowl of ice water by pouring 1 ½ cups of cool water into a bowl filled with ice cubes. Set aside.
Add the cold lard cubes and the cold butter cubes to the bowl of flour and salt.
Use a pastry cutter to cut the fat into the flour, blending until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Once the mixture has even, pea-sized crumbs (or smaller), begin adding the ice water a few tablespoons at a time. Start with 4 tablespoons, and mix gently with a silicone spatula.
Add the ice water 1-2 tablespoons at a time, and gently mix, until the dough comes together in a mostly solid mass.
Use your hands to bring the dough together, and mold it into a large disc or ball.
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours, but overnight is preferable.
When you’re ready to roll the dough out, cut the dough in half and roll it into a circle on a lightly floured surface.
Fit the dough into a pie plate, tucking the edges under and fluting the edges for decoration. Pierce the bottom and sides of the crust with the tines of a fork.
Fill the pie or blind bake, according to your recipe instructions.

Notes

Blind baking: Preheat the oven to 375ºF and place a piece of parchment paper over the crust fitted into a pie plate. Add pie weights or old dry beans to the center, spreading the weights or beans out so they weigh down the center of the pie. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the edges of the crust are beginning to brown. Remove the parchment and return to the oven if for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the bottom is just beginning to brown. Remove and cool.

Partially baked crust: For some recipes, you’ll need to partially bake the crust, fill it, and return it to the oven. To do this, bake the crust with parchment and pie weights at 375ºF for just 15 minutes. Then remove from the oven and fill your pie as directed in the recipe.

Yield: This recipe makes enough for 1 double-crust pie, OR 2 single-crust pies. Use the chilled pie dough in your favorite pie recipes, and bake according to your recipe instructions.

Storing or Freezing: Keep your pie dough wrapped in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for 3-5 days, or transfer to the freezer for 2-3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before rolling and using.

All Butter: If you would like to make a pie crust with all butter, feel free to substitute the cold cubed lard for additional cold cubed butter in the same quantity.

Bake Time: If you don't have a recipe you're using, a good rule of thumb for pie baking is to start off at 375°F for 20 minutes, and then the rest of the baking time at about 350°F (about 30-50 minutes for most pies). This ensures a nice, golden crust while still having a fully baked inside. Cover the edges with a pie shield OR a ring of foil.

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