Double Pie Crust
- 1/2 cup lard, cold
- 1/2 cup butter, cold
- 2-1/4 cup pastry flour
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 5 tbsp. ice water
- 1 egg yolk
- Put all dry ingredients in food processor and pulse briefly to combine.
- Cut cold lard and butter into 1/2 cubes into the processor.
- Pulse five times for 1 second each.
- The mixture should have pea-sized lumps of butter.
- It's very important not to over process.
- If you over process, it will start to ball up.
- You will activate the gluten in the flour and the result will be tough.
- You need lumps of butter so when you roll the crust out they make little pockets of butter which make the crust flaky.
- In a glass with ice, add the water and whisk in an egg yolk.
- (If you double the recipe, still only use one egg yolk.)
- Dump the mixture into a large bowl and drizzle in a tablespoon of the yolk water.
- Lightly mix with a folk.
- Keep adding water a tablespoon at a time and mixing lightly until crust starts to come together.
- It may require an extra tablespoon or two of water depending on the humidity.
- Turn out half the crust onto a square of plastic wrap or waxed paper.
- Wrap tightly.
- Repeat with remaining half of crust and refrigerate the discs for at least 25 minutes.
- In my experience, 35 minutes in the refrigerator is perfect.
- The key to having the crust roll out easily is to have the temperature of the butter right.
- Too warm and it will fall apart and be sticky.
- Too cold and you won't be able to roll it out.
- The dough should be firm but still workable.
- Flour your work surface and roll out.
- If it starts sticking to the surface, roll the dough over your rolling pin and flour underneath again.
- When about 1/8" thick, roll over rolling pin and transfer to pie plate.
- If it's a single crust, trim to about 1" away from pie plate edge.
- Fold under and crimp edges as desired.
- If double crust, trim bottom to pie plate edge.
- Add filling and top crust.
- Trim to 1" from pie plate edge.
- Fold underneath bottom crust to seal and crimp.
- I don't use milk or egg wash as it tends to make the pies brown overmuch.
- I do cut a few slits for ventilation and sprinkle some sugar on top for a little crunch.
lard, butter, pastry flour, sugar, salt, water, egg yolk
Taken from www.foodgeeks.com/recipes/22086 (may not work)