Perfect, Buttery, Flaky Pie Crust

The magic of this recipe is in the combination of both butter and lard. Lard makes flaky pastry, butter makes delicious pastry. We want both!

Sift together flour and salt, then cut in butter and lard until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add a beaten egg to a 1 cup measuring cup, add vineagar, then fill the rest of the cup with cold water. Mix and add this to the flour mixture and stir and knead lightly until mixture forms a ball. I usually need to add a little more water–the ball should be cool and smooth without being sticky.

This recipe makes enough for three double-crust 9 inch pies. Pastry can be frozen or refrigerated, but it’s never quite the same as fresh. I always make all three pies and freeze one or two of the pies if I need to. (Double-baked pies are extra-delicious!)

Fill with your favorite pie filling and bake using instructions for your pie recipe.