Boomers Used One Old-School Staple To Give Pies A Flakier Crust

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When the colder months are upon us, that is when many of us turn to cozy comfort foods. Soups and stews are the classic choices for a reason, but if you are feeling like spending a little effort in the kitchen, pies are the way to go. There is nothing quite like preparing the filling, rolling the crust, and baking it all together, seeing the delicious fruits of hours of labor presented in such a pretty package. That said, we all know whose pies are the best: the ones made by our grandmothers. The care, attention, and love definitely contribute to its comforting flavors. The other thing she probably used? Lard. 

That is right, lard, aka rendered pork fat. A well-made flaky pie crust needs fat, and several folks sharing their boomer relatives' recipes on social media talk about the use of lard in old-school recipes. Redshedacres-s3f4v shared on YouTube their grandma Rosie's recipe, with mountaincookinwithmissy1 sharing on TikTok her great-aunt Lucy's recipe. Both call for the same proportion of one and a half cups of all-purpose flour to half a cup of lard. You may think be thinking, pork fat in a sweet application? There is precedence for this, especially when using the leaf lard variety, which is known to be quite neutral in flavor. To use it as the fat element in a pie crust, simply substitute all (or a portion) of the butter or shortening called for in a pie crust recipe with cold lard and proceed as usual. It results in a very light crust with airy pockets that shatter delightfully upon each bite.

Pie crust made with lard can be used for all sorts of pies — yes, including dessert pies! Try it in a luxurious coconut cream pie or an all-American apple pie – just make the pie crust with lard instead for the flakiest results. If you do not have leaf lard available, or if you know the lard you have is porkier than it is neutral, you can absolutely still use it for pie crust, but for savory pies instead. Hankering for an easy chicken pot pie for dinner? Or how about a classic spinach quiche for brunch? A lard pie crust will work for any of these applications.

Ready to jump into make your own lard pie crust? Lard is easily available for purchase in many grocery stores and online. Try Sulu Organics' pasteurized lard which comes in an economical 64-ounce tub. Not feeling like committing to that much lard? Fond Nourish Delight has a 14-ounce jar of leaf lard available, which is admittedly rather pricey as it is almost the same price as Sulu Organics' much larger size, but is rendered leaf lard from regenerative heritage pork, that prized deliciously mild (and higher quality) choice of our grandmothers. Or, if you feel like going the whole nine yards, read up on how lard is really made and roll your sleeves up to render your own.