Yield: 3 9" double crust pies (or 6 pie shells)

Lard produces the flakiest crust. My grandmother and my mother swore by their lard pie pastry, and so do I. This is my favourite recipe for my pie crusts. Here are some educational facts about lard.

Ingredients

• 5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound (454g) chilled lard (I use Tenderflake)
• 1 tbsp Vinegar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Ice water

Preparation Procedure

1. Mix together flour and salt
2. In a large bowl with a pastry blender or two knives, cut lard into flour and salt until particles are the size of small peas.
3. In a 1 cup measure, combine egg and vinegar. Add enough water to make 1 cup.
4. Gradually stir liquid into lard mixture. Add only enough water to make dough cling together.
5. Gather into a ball and divide into 6 portions. If desired, wrap unused portions and freeze.
6. Ideally, chill dough before rolling it out. Min 1 hour (I usually leave it overnight).
7. Flour your hands generously. Tilt the rolling pin and sprinkle it with flour as you rotate the rolling pin. On a lightly floured surface, roll one of the pastry disks 2 inches larger than an inverted pie plate with a floured rolling pin. Try to control the rolling pin and move from the center out. Don't use the rolling pin to go back and forth. Use your rolling pin something like this: Roll North, pick up the pin, roll Northeast, pick up dough and move counter-clockwise, repeat. You want the crust as evenly rolled as you can.
8. Fold pastry into quarter folds and ease into pie plate, pressing firmly against bottom and sides of pie plate.