
Pie crust is one of those classic baked goods that many people find intimidating, let alone an 100% whole grain version. Well I’m here to tell you that flakey, wholesome, buttery sprouted goodness is not only attainable, it’s actually pretty simple! As I was formulating this recipe in our Second Spring test kitchen, our facility maintenance guy stopped by and said as a child he used to sit and watch his grandmother make pie crust, but he hadn’t seen anybody do it since. The final pie crust definitely met his approval, so I guess you could say this one is just like grandma used to make!
The key here is to follow the directions closely. You want the butter and water to be COLD and add the water 1 tbsp at a time (or even slower) until the dough just comes together. I often read recipes and think to myself, is that chilling step necessary? Well in this case it’s a resounding “yes”. You’ll want the crust itself to be cold as it goes into the oven so the butter melts at the right rate, giving it all those beautiful flakey layers. Not to worry, the rest time just means you have time to preheat the oven and prepare the filling.
Speaking of filling…the options are endless! We opted for a traditional pumpkin pie this time, but this crust would work well with fruit pies, quiche, chicken pot pie, you name it.
Yes, you can substitute shortening or lard 1:1 in this recipe.
We chose all butter because of the wonderful flavour it imparts, but feel free to use the fat of your preference.
Absolutely! Mix your dough then flatten into a rough disk and wrap in plastic, or roll out the pie crust and put the whole pie tin in the fridge or freezer. The crust can keep in the fridge for a few days. Simply add a tsp of vinegar in with the liquid to prevent the crust from oxidizing. If kept in the freezer, thaw in the fridge the day before you’ll be using it.
Some pie recipes require you to bake the crust but not the filling, in this case you bake the pie shell empty. We don’t recommend blind baking if you’re using all butter because the crust will shrink. If you need to blind bake, substitute shortening or lard.
1 thought on “Sprouted Whole Grain Spelt Pie Crust”
Thank you for posting! I try to use only sprouted flours and sometimes it’s not easy finding recipes.