Go Back
Print
Whole Wheat Pie Crust with Lard and Butter

Whole Wheat Crust

Recipe shared courtesy of Workman Publishing; from Teeny Lamothe: Whole wheat crust is my go-to for nearly every pie I bake. Whole wheat flour is slightly more challenging to work with because of its low gluten content, but adding vodka to the mix makes for a wonderful, workable dough. I keep my (cheap) vodka in the freezer and the chill of it serves to cool down the rest of my ingredients as I mix the dough together. If you have made pie crust before, you might wonder about the amount of liquid I call for here; I have found that whole wheat flour requires a little more liquid to come together into a ball of dough. This recipe makes enough dough for a nine-inch top and a bottom crust. If you need only a bottom crust, you can freeze half of this recipe for up to 3 months (see page 26) and save it for later.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Pies
Author Teeny Lamothe

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup white whole wheat or whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) cold vegetable shortening
  • 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) cold vodka
  • 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) cold water, plus extra as needed

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and sugar until everything is thoroughly combined. Add the butter and shortening and cut the mixture together using a pastry cutter until it forms small pea-size crumbs coated in flour.
  2. Pour the vodka evenly over the dry ingredients, a few tablespoons at a time, using a rubber spatula to press the dough together. Similarly, add the water, and continue to press the dough together to form a large ball. The dough should be fairly wet and sticky; if for some reason it seems particularly dry, add a little extra ice water a tablespoon at a time until everything comes together easily. (Be careful to work the dough as little as possible; otherwise the crust may be tough.)
  3. Divide the dough into two equal balls, press each into a disk, wrap each in plastic, and refrigerate for at least an hour or up to 2 days before rolling out.