What's The Best Fat For Pie Dough: Butter, Crisco Or Lard?

ATU Images via Getty Images Pie crusts are made with very few ingredients, which means the quality of the ones you choose can make a huge difference. Ana De Sa Martins, the chef de cuisine at Beauty & The Butcher in Florida, said pie crusts made with shortening are “ideal” for making pies with decorative designs made out of crusts because “shortening doughs hold the shape the best.” Roberto Machado Noa via Getty Images Crisco is the most widely available brand of vegetable shortening in the U.S. Pies that incorporate flavors into their crusts usually have crusts made with shortening as well. “Shortening doesn’t have a lot of flavor, so the crust won’t have the full-bodied flavor of a butter pie crust,” Huntsberger said. When Huntsberger uses butter to make pie crusts, she “makes sure it’s straight from the fridge.” “Lining a single pie shell might require a few trips back and forth to the fridge to keep the dough at the right temperature,” Da Sa Martins added. To get the best results when using butter, Huntsberger recommends “freezing your flour and mixing bowl before you mix the pie crust” to help control the temperature of the butter.