No Fail Pie or Tart Crust (vegan option)

What is it like?

- Crisp & Buttery

- Only 2 flours

- Great for savory dishes too - just omit the sugar!

Recipe

With one optional chill time, this crust is quicker and simpler to make than a standard shell. And it is so tender and delicious that you would never know there were any shortcuts. It is one of my favorites.

One 9 or 10-inch pie or tart (23-25 cm), prep 20 min

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup oat flour, 115g
3/4 cup almond flour, 75g
2 tablespoons powdered/icing sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup melted butter (see note for dairy free)
1 egg or 4-6 tbsp ice water

Directions:

1. Note, for a savory pie, cut the sugar in half. In a food processor mix together the flours, sugar and salt.

2. Add the melted butter and blend until it looks like fine bread crumbs. Add the egg (or ice water) and mix just until a dough is formed. If the dough is on the dry side that is fine.

3. Press it into a tart pan and chill for a minimum of 20 minutes (this chill time is optional but achieves best results). Preheat the oven to 350F / 175 C. Note that this crust, unlike others, can be baked in a non-metal pan. Because of the lower fat content, it does not have to heat up quickly to achieve a tender crust. Follow your pie or tart recipe as directed. Also, dock the crust before par-baking.
   

Notes:
You can substitute Miyoko’s vegan spread or coconut oil for a dairy free version which is delicious. 

Classic Apple Pie

Recipe

6 medium apples, peeled and sliced thinly into bite sized pieces (about 5 cups of chopped apples)
Zest of 1 lemon, plus 1 tbsp juice
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ginger, dash of cloves (optional)
3 tbsp butter or Nature’s Balance buttery spread, optional

egg wash: 1 egg whisked with 2 tsp cold water
Sprinkle with 1 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Prepare two pie shells.

2. Slice the apples and place in a large bowl.

3. In a small bowl whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples and toss to coat.

4. Pour apples into the prepared pie crust. Cover with the top pie crust and crimp crust together.

5. Bake pie at 375°F for about 25 minutes and then lower temperature to 350°F and bake until juices are bubbling and the crust is golden, about 15 minutes. If the edge of the crust browns too much crimp some foil around it to protect it.

Cool for at least 10 minutes and serve with ice cream or whipped cream (or whipped coconut cream!). This pie will keep in the fridge for a few days, but the crust may soften.

Pie Crust Recipe

Makes one 9-inch pie crust, for a top crust just double the recipe

1 ¼ cups (190 g) flour mix (see note)
1 tbsp (14 g) sugar
2 tbsp (16 g) cornstarch
1 tsp psyllium husk powder or xanthan gum
½ tsp salt
8 tbsp (113 g) butter or coconut oil (or Earth Balance buttery spread*)
2 tsp grapeseed oil or preferred oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
about 2-4 tbsp very cold water

Directions:

1. Slice refrigerated butter into about 8 equal sized pieces and place in a bowl in the fridge while you prepare the flour. (If you use a soft shortening, like Earth Balance, place it in the freezer for about fifteen minutes prior to adding it to the recipe. This is important because Earth Balance tends to be softer than butter and you don’t want the shortening to melt when added to the flour.)

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour mix, sugar, cornstarch, psyllium, and salt. Pour it into the food processor and add the butter. Pulse a few times until you see pea sized pieces and some large chunks of butter.

3. Add 2 teaspoons oil and pulse very briefly.

4. In a small bowl whisk together the egg, vinegar and vanilla. Add mixture to the flour and pulse briefly. You should see pea sized chunks of butter.

5. Pour the contents back into the large bowl. Add three tablespoons of ice water and mix gently with your hands or a spoon. The dough should still look pretty dry. Add more water if necessary until when you can squeeze the mixture together between your fingers it forms a dough.

6. Pour dough into a ziplock back, close the bag, and form a disc. Refrigerate for a minimum of twenty minutes.

7. Flour a surface and pour dough onto it. Then lightly flour work surface**, top of dough and rolling pin. Roll dough out to about a 10-inch diameter circle.

8. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie pan, lining the tin with the dough. Cut off excess dough and refrigerate until ready to use.

9. *This recipes has been tested using Earth Balance and results in a tender, but fairly crumbly crust. You can also try other kinds of shortening. Coconut oil also works well for pie crusts but it has not been tested with this recipe yet.

**I recommend using a large cutting board or the back of a cookie sheet placed over a damp towel to prevent the cutting board from slipping.

NOTE:

Flour Blend

This is the flour mix/blend I use unless otherwise specified:

4.5 cups (495g) brown rice flour (see note)
1.5 cups (219g) potato starch
3/4 cup (81g) tapioca starch

I recommend Authentic Foods superfine brown rice flour because the grind is smaller than a lot of other brands.

You can find it on Amazon or here:
http://www.authenticfoods.com/products/item/35/Superfine-Brown-Rice-Flour

Pepperoni Quiche with Spinach & Red Bell Pepper

Note: recipe below is a little different from picture above. It is my favorite quiche recipe. I hope you enjoy it!

Cook time: 30 minutes active, 50 minutes baking

crust
Follow favorite Foolproof Pie/Tart Crust recipe.

filling
12 slices peperoni
1 cup spinach, sliced thin
1/4 bell pepper, sliced thin
dash of salt
1 tsp (or to taste) cholula or other hot sauce
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup parmesan, grated

Base
1 ¼ c scant cream or coconut milk
5 eggs
Spices: 1 tsp thyme, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/8 tsp cayenne

Directions
1. Prepare crust and mold into an 8x8 baking dish. Place in fridge
2. Preheat oven to 375F.
3. Prepare the filling. Sauté pepperoni over medium heat, until slightly browned and oils have released. Set aside, and add 2 tsp butter, bell pepper, and dash of salt to the pan and sauté about 3 minutes. Add spinach and cover pan for about one minute just until it wilts. Slice pepperoni into strips. Grate cheeses.
4. Whisk together all of the ingredients for the base.
5. Layer cheddar cheese on top of unbaked crust. Place meat and veggies on top of cheddar cheese, and then drizzle on a bit of hot sauce. Pour cream/egg mixture over veggies. Sprinkle parmesan on top and bake for about 40min, until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let sit for 10min before slicing.