Wow, somehow I got a couple weeks behind in my email and just caught
up with the discussion on leaf lard. It appears that all the major
bases have already been covered regarding what it is and how it's
produced therefore I'll skip any comments in that regard. I am
however, apparently the only one who has had experience using lard in
yeast dough therefore I'll comment on that aspect.
Some time ago, a friend gave me a recipe for rolls that were served
in his high school cafeteria way back in the early 1950s. The recipe
called for lard as the shortening and the directions stipulated that
lard was the reason for the success of these rolls. He raved about
these rolls to the point that I had to try the recipe.
The recipe was huge of course, and had to be reduced to a reasonable
size but the effort was rewarded the first time I made them. These
were the lightest, most tender dinner rolls I've ever made. I now
use the recipe regularly for hamburger buns and hot dog buns as
well. The interesting thing is that the buns hold up to freezing
better than any I've previously made and I've been baking bread since
about 1985.
As to the lard I used, it was whatever the local market had on the
shelf since, as others have stated, leaf lard is next to impossible
to find. What was interesting was that the lard was stored under
refrigeration. As soon as I returned from the market I opened the
package and smelled it. No odor whatsoever. I cut off a little
piece and tasted it. No flavor either. My wife then did the same
and she too declared it to be odorless and tasteless. I cut the lard
into four sticks just like in a pound of butter, wrapped them in
saran, put them back in the box and chucked the whole works into the
freezer and to this day that's how I keep it. The lard keeps
perfectly in the frozen state, however at room temperature or even in
the fridge, it will get rancid.
Some writers questioned the purity of the store bought
lard. Personally I have no qualms about it. Any food product has to
pass the government inspectors and therefore is probably no more
impure than other foods we buy. I also noticed that the lard had
been hydrogenated. Again no qualms. We use veg oil, salad
dressings, mayo, and many other products that have been hydrogenated
so I see no reason to shun the lard. That having been said, if I
should come across a source for the leaf lard I'd surely buy it in
lieu of the commercial stuff.
Brett Baker