Just realized my grandma's pie crust recipe is better than any I've tried

For years I thought her 'secret' was just nostalgia, but last week I made it side by side with a fancy one from a cookbook. Hers uses cold lard from a butcher in Toledo and a splash of vinegar, which I always skipped. The difference was huge, hers was flaky and held shape perfectly. Anyone have a family recipe where one weird ingredient actually matters?

3 comments

3 Comments

marywells3mo ago

My mom's biscuit recipe needs a half cup of cold club soda.

tyler_white4224d ago

actually the vinegar thing is kinda misunderstood. it's not really about gluten toughness so much as it is about the acid breaking down some of the flour proteins to make the crust more tender and easier to roll out. i used to skip it too and wondered why my crusts always shrunk or got tough. once i started adding a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar it helped a ton but i never use a full tablespoon for two cups of flour, that seems like a lot and might make it taste too sharp. i learned from an old baker that the vinegar also reacts with the baking powder if you use that, helping it rise just a bit more. but yeah cold lard from a real butcher is probably doing a lot of the heavy lifting too, that stuff has a different fat content than grocery store shortening.

sandra6933mo ago

That vinegar in pie crust is a game changer... it stops the gluten from getting tough. My aunt's recipe uses a full tablespoon of white vinegar for every two cups of flour. The crust stays tender even if you overwork it a little.