Flaky Foundation

My paternal grandmother, Emma had a reputation. My dad, my uncles, and even my older neighbors who knew her talked about her. What they said must have been mostly true because they all agreed … she made great pies. One neighbor divulged that when he was a boy Grandma Emma would bake a small pie just for him when she was baking for the family. He was a middle aged man when he told me this but the smile on his face and the wistful look in his eye was that of a 10 year old.

Although I have a box of recipes written in her handwriting none of them are for pie crust or any sort of filling. Since she passed away before my dad met my mom I can only assume that she had the process of pie making committed to memory. So I learned about pie making from my mom who, in her prime, turned out pies worthy of Grandma Emma’s approval.

This photo of Grandma Emma was taken during WWII when my uncle was serving in the Army.


There is something magical about turning out an excellent pie. It transcends basic nourishment and becomes a memorable experience, one that the neighbors might still be talking about long after you are gone. Like all magic it takes a little coaching and a bit of practice but it’s not really difficult and the product is well worth the effort.


So here is my favorite recipe for pie crust along with the coaching.

Pie Crust

4 cups all purpose flour

1 cup cake flour

4 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups lard

2 egg yolks

1 scant cup ice water

All ingredients should be as cold as possible.

















Sift together (or use a wire wisk) the flours, sugar and salt. You are essentially making your own pastry flour by adding the cake flour. If your kitchen is hot put the flours in the refrigerator until they are cold.

Ok, a little note about lard. It used to be the evil artery clogging bad guy until “they” discovered that hydrogenated fats were even worse than saturated fats.
Lard is still the very best fat for flaky crusts because its molecular structure forms crystals so large that it has a grainy texture. Make sure that your lard is fresh and very cold. I go as far as measuring it and putting it in the freezer.

Using a pastry blender cut the almost frozen lard into the flour mixture until you have some pieces that are pea sized and some pieces that are slightly larger. I’m old fashioned and don’t like using a food processor.

Put the egg yolks in the measuring cup you were planning to use for the ice water and wisk them with a fork. Add the ice water until you have more than three quarters but less than a full cup. Sprinkle all but a couple tablespoons of the water over the flour and shortening. Blend the dough with that fork.

If it is too crumbly and won’t hold together add the rest of the water but remember to err on the side of dryness. If you add too much water your crust will be tough. This is where practice will get you to Carnegie Hall.

I gather the dough into two balls, flatten them, and refrigerate them overnight or freeze them for the future.

This recipe makes 5 single crusts.

I'll take you through the rolling steps in the next post.