Can you substitute coconut oil for lard in a pie crust?
I want to make a hot water crust but some folks don't eat pork. Can I use coconut oil? Or should I stick with vegetable shortening?
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I want to make a hot water crust but some folks don't eat pork. Can I use coconut oil? Or should I stick with vegetable shortening?
4 Comments
Butter is ideal
https://www.marthastewart.com/344292/our-favorite-pie-crust
I'd stick with shortening, or a mix of shortening and butter (if butter is an option) - Erin McDowell has a recipe where a mix of butter and shortening can be used. https://food52.com/recipes/64572-hot-water-crust
the internet tells me that shortening melts at around 115F, and lard melts between 86 and 118F depending on the composition, while nonhydrogenated coconut oil melts at 76F (hydrogenated melts between 97 and 104F). If you were to use nonhydrogenated coconut oil, the lower melting point would probably mean that it would not behave the same way in the oven.