I’ve figured out the secret to the best pie crust.
Every year on my birthday we would celebrate by heading to the same orchard we’ve been going to since we were kids. We would always get caramel apples and their iconic apple pie with the best pie crust you’ve ever tasted in your life. We would pet and feed goats, admire chickens and play at the farm.
Tomorrow I turn 33 and we’re not buying the overpriced pie, we’re not visiting our favorite farm, because we have our own farm, our own goats and chickens (and many more animals) and I’ve perfected my pie crust recipe. Some traditions are perfectly fine to fall by the wayside when it saves you a road trip with toddlers and keeps you from overspending on a thirty dollar pie.
The secret to the best pie crust
I’ve spent years making pie crust, my pie crust with salted butter is pretty great, but my husband doesn’t love it. Pie crust made with lard is severely lacking in flavor in my eyes. The secret to the best pie crust? Half salted butter, half lard an extra dash of salt and right before the pie goes in the oven sprinkle some sugar on top of your lattice crust. It’s the best flaky layered and tastiest crust you can make. I made this perfect crust for this blueberry pie we made with blueberries from our garden. Don’t tell my middle kid it’s blueberry pie, we call it purple pie for her because we figured she loves blueberries so much when they’re fresh picked that she would actually prefer a handful of blueberries over a slice of pie. Toddlers are weird.
So if you’re looking for the best pie crust, try my little secret, ok so it’s not really a secret anymore, because I’m proud that I figured out how to make a flaky delicious pie crust, but try it anyway!
| The secret to the best pie crust | Print |
- 2½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chilled butter
- ½ cup lard
- ½ cup cold water
- In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Use a pastry blender to cut in cold chunks of butter and lard until mixture resembles cornmeal, alternatively you could pulse all of this together in a food processor.
- Stir in water gradually, keep stirring until mixture forms a ball. Split dough in half and shape into two balls.
- Cover bowl in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Roll dough on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Make sure you roll it out evenly and large enough to overlap into your pie plate.
- Place bottom crust in pie plate, press dough evenly into the sides and bottom of pan, fill pie with filling and place second crust on top.
- Bake according to pie recipe or filling instructions.
I’m excited to make my own apple pie today with my own crust and apples we picked from a neighbors, and canned in a simple syrup!
Written by, Brittany, the geek behind the blog. Sharing tips and stories from the trenches on navigating life homeschooling and homesteading as a stay at home mom.