The thought of homemade pie crust has been known to elicit a variety of responses. Let’s look at just two possibilities:

“Yum! Nothing tastes better than homemade pie crust!” (Spoken by those who can’t wait to eat it.)

“Noooo! Not homemade pie crust!” (Spoken by those who are terrified to make it.)

Thanks to several tutorials from my mother my rallying cry is now,“I am not afraid!”

Today’s DoAhead Dining utilizes my grandmothers pie crust recipe. This bad boy is the lightest, flakiest crust I have ever sampled (lard is the key.)

Check out the recipe and then take note of two DoAheads you can incorporate.

Pie Crust

3 ½ cups Flour

1 ¼ cups Lard

1 tsp Salt

1 Egg beaten

5 Tbsp Water

1 Tbsp Vinegar

Mix flour and salt, cut in lard. In a separate bowl mix egg, water and vinegar. Pour into flour mixture. Stir, then work well with hands until smooth. Bake @ 475 for 8 to 10 min. (Crust can be kept in fridge for up to 2 weeks. Recipe makes 2 single crust pies and 1 covered pie.)

The DoAheads are as follows:

Fully prepare an apple pie. Use a foil pan to assemble your pie. Place the completed but unbaked pie in a heavy duty freezer bag and store in freezer. The pies can be stored for up to 4 months in the freezer. When you’re in the mood for a pie, bake it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until apples feel tender. (Bonus: pie can go straight from the freezer to the oven!)
Hold back some of your crust and store in the fridge (lasts up to 1 week). Preparing a quiche or pot pie will be quick with your crust done in advance.