Using Lard in Pastry

[fatmat]

Just another use to add to the list... Lard is absolutely essential, IMO, for making good Yorkshire Pudding.

[Ling]

I always use lard for my pie crusts.

I've tried all vegetable shortening, all butter, and combinations of the three, but I always go back to 100% lard.

[MelissaH]

I would love to know what is a shortening agent.  Would duck fat do the same thing as lard in savory pastry?

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My husband made his first-ever quiche last night. And in the crust, he used 7 Tbsp. butter and 2 Tbsp. duck fat. It turned out quite yummy, although not excessively ducky. I'd describe it as more crumbly than flaky, but in the context of the rest of the quiche it worked fine.

MelissaH

[ablosh]

The lard discussed here is pork lard. The vegetable shortening you recieved has been hydrogenated to stay in a solid state.

The recipes you have sound like they call for the vegetable shortening. I am unfamiliar with what you were given. What you describe does sound like what Crisco vegetable shortening looks like. You can store it at room temp. or in the fridge.

I hope this helps. Where are you located?

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I live in the Philippines, Southeast Asia.

I don't know where to get pork lard here though... Supermarkets don't even carry them and I live in our country's city of cities. I find it hard to find several baking or cooking ingredients here since most western baked goods aren't quite so common here, except maybe for brownies and cakes. (Even homebaked cookies are hard to find, with the exception of VERY EXPENSIVE Mrs. Fields! )

[nimzo]

Lardy cake, the ultimate treat for winter tea and an English institution.

I use Dan Lepers recipe with added fruit and a little less lard.

500gr strong white

200gr leaven( have used just yeast before and adapted flour weight) 250gr warm water

21/2 teaspoons fresh yeast

125gr lard

150gr caster sugar

nutmeg

75gr sultanas,currants or raisins ,whichever you prefer

Mix dry ingredients with soaked yeast/water.Leave 10mins

Knead for a few seconds, rest 10 mins, knead again briefly then leave for an hour.

Roll into rectangle and sprinkle chopped lard and fruit over 2/3 of rectangleSprinkle over the sugar then fold into 3 layers so the sugar/lard is enclosed.Roll out into rectangle again and fold into 3 again.Roll out to 1/2 inch thick then roll into a cylinder as you would with Chelsea buns.

Line a circular non-stick tin, cut cylinder in half lenghtways and place half, cut side upwards in tin. Leave in warm for 1 hour.

Heat oven to 400F, sprinkle with nutmeg and a couple of spoons of sugar. Bake for 50mins to 1 hour

I like it warm others prefer the set lard in the cool version.

[skyflyer3]

Can lard be used to straight sub for shortening in any baked good? I have a banana bread recipe that calls for shortening, and was wondering if lard might affect the crumb in some way. Thanks!

[chiantiglace]

It can be subbed, I don't know why you just dont use butter but lard is still better than shortening.

[Sugarella]

Can lard be used to straight sub for shortening in any baked good? 

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I know we're talking pie crusts here, but by "baked good" do you mean anything? I wouldn't use lard in the sweet department for anything that calls for vegetable shortening, like gingerbreads or cookies. Best to use butter in place of crisco for those type of things.

[Just loafing]

Sorry to sound like a pleb ... but I vastly prefer margarine (I use non-hyrdogenated canola) to shortening in sweet baked goods. And, of course, Tenderflake lard, which is now also non-hydrogenated, for pie crusts. Tenderflake is a Canadian brand. Susan

[sheetz]

Can lard be used to straight sub for shortening in any baked good? 

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I know we're talking pie crusts here, but by "baked good" do you mean anything? I wouldn't use lard in the sweet department for anything that calls for vegetable shortening, like gingerbreads or cookies. Best to use butter in place of crisco for those type of things.

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I disagree. Lard works very well in place of shortening in sweet things like cookies.

[MamaC]

I'll go with the lard.

I use it a lot for dough too. As in cookies, sweet dough, pastries.

Edited April 2, 2006 by MamaC (log)

[zoe b]

my husband's Aunt Jane (who was Southern) made the most fabulous pies--and always used lard--I'd forgotten this until last night--I had some leftover pot roast and decided to make Cornish Pasties out of it--once i got the recipe it appeared that you use raw meat, but i had some juice from the sauce left and threw that on top to perhaps keep it moister.

The dough recipe called for half butter half lard--the filling was kind of dry, but the crust was magnificent--crisp and flaky, not the least bit greasy, which I think sometimes happens with an all butter dough.

I used lard from the pig we bought, so maybe the excellent quality of it was what made such a wonderful crust, but still, I'm converted--am making an apple tart today with an all lard crust to see how i like that.

Zoe

[chefpeon]

I'm a huge fan of lard, leaf lard to be exact.

But in my experience, I think crusts need to have at least a little butter in there for flavor.

I wouldn't go 100% lard.

I figure that all that flakiness isn't so great if you don't have flavor to go with it.

[zoe b]

I wouldn't go 100% lard.

I figure that all that flakiness isn't so great if you don't have flavor to go with it.

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good point--I think the 50-50 was perfect in terms of taste/flakiness

what %s do you like?

I would guess that any less than 20% butter and you wouldn't get the butter flav.

Z

and i forgot to ask--leaf lard? I think that's the lard around the organs? I just get a tub of lard when i get my meat--don't know the specific make up of it--but it's lovely stuff--creamy and no odor at all.

Edited May 12, 2007 by zoe b (log)

[srhcb]

My Mother always used lard & butter for pie crust but 100% lard for pasty.

SB (personally crust-challenged )

[miladyinsanity]

My Mother always used lard & butter for pie crust but 100% lard for pasty. 

SB (personally crust-challenged )

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I've not found any reason to bother hunting for lard, but I'm crust-challenged in a slightly different way.

My pate sablee comes out like flaky like pie crust and it's not supposed to be like that.

[Carolyn Tillie]

When I am making a dough for anything savory, I use duck fat. 50/50 lard/butter for sweet dough, but 50/50 duck fat/butter for savory.

Amazing.

[chefpeon]

 

good point--I think the 50-50 was perfect in terms of taste/flakiness

what %s do you like?

Actually the crust I make now is about 60 percent butter, 40 percent leaf lard.....I should probably see what it's like going 50-50.....I've never done it since I like what I'm making so much. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, as they say.....

And yeah, leaf lard is the fat found around the pig's kidneys if I remember right. I special order my leaf lard from Dietrich's Meats in Pennsylvania......

Oh yeah, Carolyn.....I'm all over the duck fat thing.......YOW-ZA!

[Lindacakes]

Another half and halfer. Also order from Dietrich's. New thing I just found out about -- Flying Pig.

I also use high fat butter -- organic high fat butter for extra fattiness.

Duck fat. Better fat.

[onehsancare]

Another half and halfer.  Also order from Dietrich's.  New thing I just found out about -- Flying Pig.

I also use high fat butter -- organic high fat butter for extra fattiness.

Duck fat.  Better fat.

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Ditto on all counts. Need to check out Flying Pig. Found it: Flying Pig Farm

Edited May 14, 2007 by onehsancare (log)

[Lindacakes]

That's it! Thanks for finding it -- they do Union Square Greenmarket, apparently.

Found out about them on either The Splendid Table or Good Food, can't remember which, but they sound fab.

It's a very good segment, if you want to hear about pig fat, fat back, fat.

Yum. Fat.

[zoe b]

ohhh, duck fat in a dough--that would be fabulous!!!

[sugarseattle]

i've always used 70% butter and 30% veg shortening, and my crust is flavorful and light, but with all the people freaking out about hydrogenated fats, rightfully so, I suppose I should switch to lard, but it just grosses me out so much. I remember as a kid someone told me that oreos were filled with lard and sugar and I could never eat them for a while after that. I think I should try it, but lard just sounds so graphic to me

[Blether]

... I also use high fat butter -- organic high fat butter for extra fattiness.

Duck fat.  Better fat.

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Yeah, I wonder about this. Sometimes

Butter is always going to have a certain amount of water in it, so replacing it with anything that's pure/purer fat - lard, duck fat, Crisco - will have the same effect as increasing the overall proportion of fat - shorter, flakier pastry.

Has anyone tried clarified butter in pastry ?

(Edited because 'r' in brackets becomes ® )

Edited May 15, 2007 by Blether (log)

[andiesenji]

Unless I am baking for guests who have dietary restrictions, I use lard, home rendered if I have it on hand or the bulk "fresh" lard I buy at local Mexican markets. I don't like the commercial mass-produced stuff.

Well ahead of time I measure out the amount I will need, spread it in a shallow container (since the advent of the silicone baking pans, I use these) place it in the freezer and when it is very firm, I turn it out onto a flexible cutting board and chop it into small chunks or cubes.

(I have an excellent 2-handled cheese knife that does a lovely job)

It immediately goes into the food processor into which the dry ingredients have been measured and I pulse just until it looks like fat crumbs.

While pulsing the processor, I add ice water through the pusher, which has a small hole in the lower end which is perfect for gradually adding the liquid just until the dough just BEGINS to form a ball, but there will still be about 1/3 loose crumbs.

There is now enough moisture * in the pastry to hold together so it can be wrapped in plastic and placed in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Then it can be rolled, shaped, cut, etc.

The less handling, the less working, the more tender and flaky the crust will be.

* Don't go by volume measurement for the liquid. On humid days you will need less, sometimes a lot less, than on very dry days.

I have a friend who has a home in Houston, TX and a second home in the hill country which is a higher altitude and much, much dryer. For a two-crust pie pastry, she uses at least 1 additional tablespoon of ice water when baking in the hill country. A significant difference.