Recipe: Karo Syrup Pie Crust

PIE-A-DAY #18

Hank Will, author of Lard: The Lost Art of Cooking with Your Grandmother’s Secret Ingredient, passed along this crust recipe that uses lard and Karo syrup. In this outtake he says he’s not sure which is more surprising, the fact that it’s made with Karo syrup or the yield of 21 9 inch pie shells! So be forewarned – this recipe makes A LOT of pie crust.

here to enter YOUR delicious pie (or pies) in the 4th Annual Good Food Pie Contest on Saturday, September 8th at LACMA.

Karo Syrup Pie Crust

Makes 21 single 9-inch pie shells

1 (5-pound) bag all-purpose unbleached flour

2 tablespoons salt

3 pounds lard, cold and coarsely chopped

1 cup light corn syrup (Karo syrup)

3 cups cold water

In a very large bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, cut in the lard until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the corn syrup and water and mix until the dough sticks together. Divide the dough into fist-sized balls and place in individual quart-sized freezer bags. Place the individual bags in a large, resealable freezer bag (2-gallon size) and put in the freezer.

To use: Remove 1 ball of dough for each crust needed. Let thaw for about 1 hour at room temperature, or defrost in the refrigerator overnight. Roll out the crust as needed. The dough will be soft, and you can refreeze any unused dough.