Discover how adding lard to your mince pie pastry can elevate their flakiness and flavor. This article explores the history and benefits of using lard in pie crusts, comparing it with butter and highlighting the unique texture it creates.
Mince pies are a traditional treat during the festive season, filled with mincemeat, fruit, and spices, all enclosed in a pastry crust. The custom of eating a mince pie daily for 12 days, from December 25th to Twelfth Night, dates back to the Middle Ages and was believed to bring good luck and happiness for the coming year. Today, mince pies appear on supermarket shelves as early as October.
However, for those who want to make their own mince pies this Christmas, a surprising ingredient can enhance their pies' flakiness and flavor. Most recipes call for a pastry crust made with plain flour, butter, water, and a pinch of salt, but incorporating 3 ounces (85 grams) of lard with the butter can create wonderfully flaky mince pies. Lard is frequently added to pie crusts due to its high melting point, which contributes to a very flaky crust, according to the Express. The dough's ability to stay solid longer during handling and baking results in more defined layers of fat, producing a delightful flakiness when the fat melts during cooking. Conversely, butter melts more quickly, potentially leading to a tougher pastry crust. The culinary website, The Chopping Block, explains: 'Lard used to be extremely common in pie crust making, but then it became a sort of vilified ingredient. Now the all-butter crust is so ubiquitous a lot of people seem to have forgotten lard was ever in the mix.' 'An all butter crust can be very good, and is almost guaranteed to be much better than any store-bought crust you'll find, but they can also be prone to toughness.' 'Mixing different fats in your crust will yield a pastry that's not only full of delicious buttery flavor, but that also has an incredible texture. The coveted flaky-but-tender combo that we so often hear when describing the ideal crust is most readily achieved this way.
FOOD RECIPES MINCE PIES LARD PASTRY
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
James Martin's recipe for 'crispy and golden' roast potatoes has a secret ingredientJames Martin has revealed a simple twist to make your roast potatoes even better
Read more »
Merry Berry's Secret Ingredient For The Best Mulled WineI'm definitely going to start using this.
Read more »
Emmerdale fans fury as they slam 'utterly insane' writers over Cain and RubyA secret never stays a secret in the Dales
Read more »
Our Little Secret star's life from Pretty Little Liars to 'secret marriage'Ian Harding stars alongside Lindsay Lohan in the new Netflix holiday romance Our Little Secret.
Read more »
Two-ingredient mix makes grimy earphones shine again and eliminates bacteriaYour earphones can collect a lot of dirt in a short space of time, but one cleaning expert has shared a simple way to get them looking good as new using just two ingredients
Read more »
This anti-ageing serum contains an unusual and ultra-effective ingredientInspired by a K-beauty trend, this anti-ageing serum highlights the restorative and protective properties of snail slime.
Read more »