I think butter with a small amount of lard provided the best taste and makes the best-textured pie crust. I am not a fan of the lard that comes in a box, so I tend to render my own. I do mine in a non-stick pan in the oven. There are plenty of instructions on the internet and it is not hard. You can make a decent crust with all-purpose flour and water, but by replacing some of the all-purpose flour by cake flour, you get less protein so the crust will less likely to be tough. Replacing some of the water by alcohol helps more. The ethyl alcohol in distilled spirits does not bind with the gluten so it will also help to yield a more tender product. The choice of spirit can also affect flavor. On a pumpkin or pecan pie, I might use bourbon, which has a complementary taste. On a raspberry tart, I might choose vodka, which is flavorless, or a raspberry liqueur if I had it. I tend to make crusts using a food processor.
Pie Crust
6 oz. All-purpose flour
2 ½ oz. Cake flour
2 T Lard or vegetable shortening (about 1 oz.)
8 T Cold butter, cut into ¼” pieces
¾ t Kosher salt (See: salt notes )
Ice water (or cold distilled spirits), as needed (about 4T or a little less)
This will make the crust for an 11” shallow tart pan. A 9” pie pan can be done with 80% of the recipe.
Replacing some of the water with distilled spirits does two things: It adds flavor, and the alcohol does not participate with the gluten to form the matrices that toughen the dough. I suggest about 50%.
Food processor method:
Put the dry ingredients into the bowl and pulse to combine and aerate. Add half the butter and pulse until it resembles dry cornmeal. Add the remainder of the butter and pulse about 6 times. Add the shortening or lard, and pulse about 4 times. There should still be fairly large pieces. Add the liquid and pulse only until it begins to come together.
Traditional method:
Replace the kosher salt by 3/8 t table salt so that it will go through a sifter. Sift the dry ingredients. Cut in half the butter until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Cut in the rest of the butter, leaving pieces that are fairly coarse. Cut in the shortening or lard, leaving larger pieces to provide flakes. Add just enough liquid to make the dough.
Allow the dough to rest at least half an hour in the refrigerator before rolling.