Never, Never Fail Pie Pastry Recipe

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Nov 23, 2006

For the first time in years, here is a pastry recipe I really like. The pastry needs to be worked with at room temp--if you refrigerate it for later, leave it out on the counter for a while to bring it up to room temperature before rolling it out or it's not going to work easily. I used half lard and half shortening, also left out the vanilla as I don't care for it in pastry particularly. The vanilla might work well if making cream pies or similar, it was too much for me here. I suspect this recipe will work equally well with straight shortening, but it will change the texture somewhat. Nonetheless, this is a very tender pastry that is easy to roll out. It's even easy to fold over to get to the pie pan--I've not been able to do that with other pastry recipes I've had in the past, and I love it. And it can be rolled out thin as well, even better.

—Parapet

See full review »

Most Helpful Critical Review

Dec 30, 2010

We did not like this recipe at all. After many years of using the same never fail pie pastry recipe I decided to compare mine to another "never fail pastry". It didn't occur to me until after the pastry was made that the ratio of lard and flour is wrong. I didn't check but I think that most good pastry recipes on this site have a ratio of 3 parts flour and 2 parts lard. This recipe is 2:1. With a ratio like that you end up with a gooey mess that tastes like lard when baked. It did turn out flaky so I gave it 2 stars for that but it tasted awful. I chilled this pastry overnight and still had problems. As i was working with it I kept drawing in a lot of flour and even then I had to piece it together in the pan. If you are going to use this recipe I would suggest you add at least another 3/4 c.flour to the recipe. By adding the flour right away at least you will have control of how much flour you are using. I will continue to use my own never fail pie pastry recipe.

—CHEFB1

See full review »

73 Ratings

Oct 08, 2005

Excellent recipe! The only change I made was that I substituted butter for the lard. It was so easy to roll out and it baked very nicely.

—mousie8

See full review »

Sep 30, 2007

This pastry really lived up to its name today. I made it exactly by the recipe. It was a bit sticky, but, after it was chilled, I decided to roll it out between waxed paper. Great idea, or so I thought. It rolled out beutifully, no tears, just perfect. However, it would not come off of the waxed paper. So, since I'm one not to be defeated, and because I didn't want to start again, I just scraped the dough off of the waxed paper, reshaped it, floured it and the board, and rolled it out again. It again rolled out beautifully. I'm thinking at this point that this mess will be the toughest worst pastry I've ever made, but I plowed ahead. I used it with Bev's Chocolate Pie from this site, so it wasn't blind baked, just baked right along with the pie. I gotta tell you, this, even after the torture I put it through, was the best pie pastry I've ever made. My nephew even said he liked the "crust" better than the pie, although he didn't have any problem "forcing down" two large pieces. Great recipe. Thanks much.

—kbsteen

See full review »

Nov 26, 2008

YES! This is the best ever pie crust! I have tried crusts, w/ butter, shortening,and oil. Lard is the key! This was so easy and it turned out awesome. I made it first w/ a chicken pot pie. Very easy, turned out perfect, flakey and browned perfectly, no burnt edges. I even tried to over knead it to see what happened. It made no difference it was perfect. Then I made it with an apple pie. I Added 1T sugar, 1T vanilla and 1T Cinnamon. Everybody ranted an raved at how good the pie was and this is a group of gourmet cooks & restaurant workers. I will never try another Pie crust recipe. Thanks Elaine! UPDATE: for those of you substituting butter/shortening/margarine DON'T! The key is the lard. The lard makes this crust light & flaky, like no other oil can.

—Nyteez.com

See full review »

May 28, 2004

This was my first attempt at baking. In fact just about anything I make is a first. I'm retired and just begining to learn the ropes. My wife still works so I try to fix her dinner when she gets home. I made this pie crust for the luscious chicken pot pie (also on this site) and the end result was exceptional. I didn't even make a mess with the flour. The crust was flakey (I think that's a good thing) and the taste was great. If I can make this anyone can!!

—ROOKIE COOKIE

See full review »

Jun 29, 2003

I will never use another pastry recipe again. This was great tasting, use to roll and flakey. I was worried at first b/c it was soo stickey I thought of adding more flour but after cooking I was glade I didn't. JUST WOUNDERFUL.

—PATIENCE22

See full review »

Jan 14, 2008

I used butter instead of lard and it was perfect, very easy to work with. I put it in the fridge before rolling and it wasn't sticky at all. Maybe the difference is in the baking powder...

—ANNAMA

See full review »

Rate This Recipe

Edit

Glad you liked it! Your friends will, too:

Did you tweak the recipe? Edit and save your own version of it!

Edit this recipe

More Recipes Like This See all

Never Fail Pie Crust III

Never Fail Pie Crust II

Never Fail Pie Crust I

No Fail Pie Crust II

No Fail Pie Crust III

French Pastry Pie Crust

Fried Pie Pastry

No Fail Pie Crust I

Flaky and Tasty Pastry

Easy to Remember Pie Crust

ADVERTISE WITH US

Nutrition

Calories
355 kcal
18%

Carbohydrates
24.7 g
8%

Cholesterol
50 mg
17%

Fat
26.5 g
41%

Fiber
0.8 g
3%

Protein
3.6 g
7%

Sodium
135 mg
5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Never, Never Fail Pie Pastry

Serving Size: 1/8 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
** Calories: 355
** Calories from Fat: 238

% Daily Value *
** Total Fat 26.5g 41 %
** Saturated Fat 10.3g 51 %
** Cholesterol 50mg 17 %
** Sodium 135mg 5 %
** Potassium 37mg 1 %
** Total Carbohydrates 24.7g 8 %
** Dietary Fiber 0.8g 3 %
** Protein 3.6g 7 %
** Sugars 0.7g
** Vitamin A < 1 %
** Vitamin C 0 %
** Calcium 5 %
** Iron 16 %
** Thiamin 25 %
** Niacin 20 %
** Vitamin B6 1 %
** Magnesium 3 %
** Folate 33 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.