The Best Pie Crust For People Who Don’t Like Making Pie Crust

I am not great with pie crusts – that’s why I’m sharing this recipe with you! I’ve mentioned this pie crust lots of times before, but I felt like I needed to highlight it as we go into the holidays.

My mom taught me how to make pie crust, but my attempts never turned out like hers. The dough was always way too sticky, the crust fell apart on the way to the dish and it was always a big messy disaster.

Once I found this recipe, all of that changed. This recipe comes together so easily and is so easy to work with! It’s not a super flaky crust like my mom makes, but it holds together so well for me.

Frannie’s Lard Crust

from Blue Ribbon Baking from a Redneck Kitchen – recipe appears with permission from Francine Bryson

• 3/4 C butter flavored shortening
• 2 1/4 C flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbl. sugar (you can even use less sugar if you like a saltier crust)
• 1/2 C water

Blend shortening and flour with pastry blender until blended together to form chunks the size of butter beans. Add water and stir with a fork until combined. If the dough is too dry, add water one teaspoon at a time until the dough forms a ball. Flatten the dough into a disk, cover with plastic wrap and chill in fridge 20 minutes. Roll out onto a floured surface and transfer to a pie dish for baking.

I love using this crust in these recipes:

• Kentucky Derby Pie
• Mini Apple Pies (I don’t do the lattice on top as the recipe directs)
• Tomato Pie
• Peach Galette and Apple Galette
• Pumpkin Pie and Mini Pumpkin Pies

Here’s a tip for making your edges look fancy: cut the edges off right around the pie dish and smooth them down. Cut out 8 mini shapes using little cookie cutters and the extra dough.

Attach them to the crust using egg wash, placing them evenly apart so that each slice gets one embellishment! Brush the tops with a little more egg wash to help them get nice and golden brown.

If you’ve been wary of homemade pie crust, I hope you’ll give this one a try! One recipe makes two crusts, so I usually leave the second one in the freezer and pull it out when I need pie now. That happens to you too, right? 🙂