Even after you chill a vegetable shortening-based pie crust, it remains fairly soft. Here is one that might work for you: https://food52.com/recipes/19559-perfect-vegan-pie-crust. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Well, I definitely learned something new through this post. Marge, I’m sorry this question is 6 years after your comment ? You do not have able to make fine pastry to make this successfully. Homemade Shortening Pie Crust. 🙂 I had no idea that lard, butter, or coconut oil were once called shortening. (Follow these instructions if your recipe calls for a pre-baked crust.). Yes, you can make tender, flaky pie crust with pastry flour. Therefore you get a more delicate, and I would argue, flakier crust. My family are currently practicing Ketogenic way of life and for celebrations I would like to prepare pies, and I am keen to try your lemon whey pie. It has a higher smoke point than butter and will spatter less because it contains less water. I do not use either in my cooking. Many years ago (25) I attempted to make pie crust for my pecan pies for Thanksgiving. Combine flour and salt. You can use a food processor if you’d like, just be sure not to over-process. hopefully soon! Originally Answered: What is the best substitute for shortening in pie crust? I haven’t used lard yet, but I would LOVE to. The shortening, the theory went, would contribute flakiness, and the butter, taste. This prevents the pastry from sticking to the cloth. Trim around the edges (if needed), but leave an overhang around the edges of the pan. My other tip is something my mom taught me about how to get the rolled out crust into the pie pan. A much better vegan substitute for pie crust is coconut oil, for one thing, it tastes like coconut. I just made chicken pot pie. Hi Ji! Then you only have to loosen that last quarter to lift the whole crust, lay it in your pan, and unfold it. Has a yo e ever frozen this pie crust? They roll them in balls, wrap in plastic wrap, and then sell a ziploc with 8 balls in each. I have never had beef turn out so tender in a stew before. Cut in the fat using a pastry blender or two knives. Welcome Amber! […] Simple Shortening-free Pie Crust « The Prairie Homestead | Return … […], […] in a puff pastry is very soft and does not fail to impress your guests at your next dinner party. Use cold fat, and do not, I repeat DO NOT, overwork the dough. This keeps the gluten strands shorter; only the particles not coated with shortening develop gluten. I tried it but I have done something wrong. A Homemade Shortening Pie Crust can be made in just minutes. Shortening: The fat of choice for pie baking in the fifties and sixties, shortening has a very high melting point, which makes it very easy to mix into pie crust. You got this, Liz! Then before the butter has a chance to harden, pour in cornmeal & tilt pan till no more cornmeal will stick to the pan. Recipe is Dori Greenspan’s “good for almost everything pie dough”. Growing up we called it Oleo. With exceptional flavor depth, it heightens sweet and nutty flavors far more than your average homemade pie crust. However, I have seen recipes calling for olive oil, etc. Hopefully we will get a couple hogs next year! You’ll need: 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoons salt 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed 3-5 tablespoons water. Thanks! Pastry flour pie crust is harder to roll without cracking, and can split apart at the seams while the pie is baking. Melt butter in your pie pan & tilt the pan around till the bottom & sides are covered. 🙂, Ah good to know! In this sense there is a lot of pressure to make the perfect […], […] of pie filling in the freezer, you need a good crust! ^_^. In a food processor blend the butter, the cream cheese, the flour, and the salt, pulsing the motor, until the dough just begins to form a ball, gather the dough into a ball, and flatten slightly. oil just like part-frozen butter? Easy as that!When using butter in place of shortening in your pie crust, make sure the butter is room temperature so that it has the same soft consistency as shortening. Lard is the shortest of all and makes excellent pastry.”. Roll it up around the rolling pin (like paper towels are rolled up around the cardboard tube) and then unroll it over the pie plate! 🙂, You can make your own dripping by clarifying the fats left over from your roasts. Good morning! Everyone loves the rich and salty flavor of butter. What will the pie be then if the butter is used instead of shortening? sure saves me from a big mess and frustration of the crust breaking! As an avid pie-baker (and daughter of same), I can vouch for the teaspoon of white vinegar in the ice water. This is exactly what my mom does and she has the flakiest pie crusts I’ve ever had! (you might need to flour the top of the dough as you roll, to prevent sticking and tearing). Maybe in balls ready to thaw and roll? You can use a pancake flipper/spatula to get the crust up easily…first slide and wiggle it under half the crust to loosen that half. But, do let me know if you try it! This is an easy vegan pie crust recipe made with margarine and oil, instead of Crisco or solid shortening. I use plastic wrap because it does not rip. I used to get too frustrated with the dough sticking to my counter even when I put loads of flour on the counter!! Hi! Crisco - and others like it - make great pie crusts. I just need to find a healthy source of lard now…. If you can’t get quality, non-hydrogenated lard, your best bet is to just use coconut oil or butter in your pie crusts. Or Joanna from Plus Other Good Stuff […], […] See recipe at The Prairie Homestead […], […] then sugar and flour. I don’t mind using a little white flour for this recipe) 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Thanks for such a great article! Shortening 1, butter 1. It was so embarrassing. Mix with other ingredients in your recipe and roll out as you would any pie crust. If you love simple, heritage, old-fashioned and super delicious recipes, make sure you check out my popular cookbook! To make pie crust, first combine flour, salt, and shortening I put 2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour , 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 cup vegetable shortening into the bowl of my stand mixer. I will be using this pie crust to make my pies in the future. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cream-cheese-pastry-dough-101585, please help if you know swiss recipes? Io me (and many others) Crisco is shortening. 🙂. Swapping oil for shortening can cause the pie crust to be less flaky, but it will still come out of the oven hot and ready to eat. Fascinating– thanks for sharing! I have started substituting half the water for cheap vodka (thanks to NPR) The alcohol cooks out leaving a perfect flaky crust 🙂 I bought $3 worth of absolute and cant tell you how many pies Ive made! Hello, I wonder if anyone ever try coconut /almond flour for this crust? 3/4 cup butter-flavored Crisco I do not substitute a different brand – Crisco is the best!, chilled; 6-8 tablespoons ice water; 1 egg for egg ... to have the right amount for the shells. The freezing makes it extra cold and the grating gets you the right sized crumbs of butter without danger of overmixing. This is a good thing! Hmmm… I’ve never tried that, but my gut instinct would have to say that I would doubt that would work. When I am going to make a lot of pies I don’t wash it between uses. Have you ever tried liquid oil.My great aunt used to make it for her husband with heart problems.Its a little harder to work with but turns out lite and flakey. It must be completely full! Then lightly sprinkled with flour with each use. I’ve always been a snob for homemade pie crust, too, and was at a total loss as to what to do now that we don’t use shortening (I actually keep a can of the nasty stuff for the *very* rare occasions we choose to treat ourselves – I always think “poison” when I see it in my cupboard). In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and salt. I am wondering if I could use coconut butter instead of coconut oil, butter or lard. Coconut oil will need to be solidified in the fridge before you cut it into the flour just like butter. The first time I made one my husband and the crust was tough. If you can get it from a local farmer, it’s a good choice, esp for those of us following a more traditional diet. Would I be able to grate refrigerated coc. Thanks! Hope this makes sense! Help!! This answer is literally easy as pie. Lard, Coconut oil, butter can all be considered shortening. For example, if the recipe calls for one-half cup of butter or shortening, use one-half cup of margarine instead. I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s on my to do list this winter! In my opinion, pie crust made with shortening is pretty hard to mess up! Maybe too much water? OMG I am now in pie crust heaven! The methodology of a good pie crust is very similar to that of a good biscuit (they are both “pastries”, after all). It is a little sturdier than standard pastry without losing that element of fragility and it’s so easy! I use it quite often. Deep-frying is fine with lard. Gross. Lard is a perfectly acceptable substitute for shortening in most recipes. I’ve never, ever heard this before Alisha! I was reading through to see if anyone would mention a pastry cloth. As Julia wrote of her classic pie crust dough, “A mixture of 3 parts butter and 1 part vegetable shortening will give a tender crust with a good buttery flavor.” If a recipe calls for melted shortening, vegetable oil is a good swap. I don’t have a pastry blender, and this tip has made the world of difference! We use the frozen butter and grater when we make our biscuits. This is now definitely my go to pie crust recipe. She uses butter. No way! Freezing the butter is a brilliant tip, and one I will be sure to use in the future. I have a question about Lard you can purchase at the store. I am wondering if you have ever used lard for crust? The pastry cloth is “seasoned” by rubbing in flour over and over until the cloth has absorbed as much as it will. I just found your blog, and I’m so glad I did! Grocery bags?? Great minds think alike! Minus the coconut oil. I assume by shortening you mean something like Crisco - a hydrogenated vegetable oil fat. Know that lard is an animal product and if you want to eliminate animal fats from your diet, avoid lard. You may use crunchy or smooth peanut butter. It’s true that lard pie crust is ideal for savory pies like Breakfast Quiche, Chicken Pot Pie or Turkey Pot Pie, or to be cut and baked into Pie Crust Crackers to accompany Chicken Pot Pie Soup or Turkey Pot Pie Soup.But it’s wonderful for sweet pies too. Period. Been looking for a plain and simple pie crust recipe like this for ages, thank you so much! When I made the crust with coconut oil I couldn’t get the dough to roll together so I added a eggs. If you pass it through a sieve or a fat separator first, you can easily use bacon/pork drippings or even chicken fat (schmalz in Yiddish) to make pie crust pastry. In Australia we don’t typically make many sweet pies; caramel tart and the occasional apple pie is about as far as my family have ever gone so I am enjoying making pies we’ve never tried. Thank you so much. 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