Since I’ve never made pie crust, clean eating or otherwise, I thought I’d walk you through the process in case you haven’t either. Along for the ride?
Good!
Now, since this is a basic dough, there are tons of things you can do with it. If you will be making a pie, you could add cinnamon or another complimentary spice to the dough, and use canola or safflower oil. (Stay tuned for my holiday clean eating pie recipe using this same pie crust recipe!)
If you are making something savory, like the Clean Eating Pesto Quiche With Sun Dried Tomatoes I made a little while back, then try mixing in some Italian spice or garlic into the dough, and use olive oil.
Pie crust doesn’t have to be boring. You just have to get creative. But stay light on the spices so they don’t overpower what you are filling the crust with! About 1/2 tsp. per batch of dough. This extra spice should compliment the finished dish, not overwhelm it.
The great thing about pie crusts, is once they are filled, you can pretty much freeze any recipe you’ve made to keep on hand for one of those busy work nights. Or, just freeze the dough in the pie tin if you prefer a more “fresh” approach. Fill it last minute, pop it in the oven, and you’ve got a quick meal any day of the week!
I should mention that I’m adapting a recipe I found on the AllRecipes.com site. Why reinvent the wheel? Especially if it’s a good wheel.
(Makes 2 pie crusts)
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour + extra
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup oil (see above notes in post)
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk + an extra 1/4 cup additional
Directions
Prepare your pie tins
Step 1 – Spray your tin with a coat of spray-on olive oil.
Step 2 – Add about 1/8 cup whole wheat pastry flour to your tin.
Step 3 – Shake your tin around until the flour completely coats the surface. Set aside.
Prepare your dough.
Step 1 – Put flour and salt into a mixing bowl and mix.
Step 2 – Measure your soy milk and oil into the same cup.
Step 3 – Mix well by hand until you have a firm dough. Depending on your climate, you may need that extra 1/4 cup of soy milk. I always do. If you add the extra soy milk at the end, it will seem like it was a really bad idea at first. But keep mixing and you’ll end up with a really nice, firm dough. It takes some doing, so don’t give up.
Step 4 – Place your dough on a large piece of parchment paper. Flatten slightly with your hands or rolling pin, and then place another large sheet of parchment paper over the top so the dough is sandwiched in between. Roll with your rolling pin until your dough is about 1/8 in to 1/4 inch thick. You may need to lift the parchment occasionally or flip the whole thing over to get rid of wrinkles in the parchment.
Step 5 – remove the top sheet of parchment, and roll out any wrinkles left in the dough by the parchment. You should have a nice, even and smooth piece of dough. Divide your dough in half.
Step 6 – Place your tin upside down on your dough. Flip the whole thing over, and mold the dough into your tin, being careful not to rip the dough.
Step 7 – Cut the excess dough around the edge of the pan. Keep your knife upright so you get a nice even cut. Crimp with a fork, and then place the whole thing in a large zip lock bag. Place in the freezer and you’ve got Clean Eating Pie Crust any time you need it!
Eat and Enjoy!
Nutritional Content
1 serving = 1 pie crust – Keep in mind that you would not eat an entire pie crust in one sitting. Divide these numbers by 8 to get the accurate amount for one slice.
Calories: 1070 (1 slice = 134 calories)
Total Fat: 59 gm (1 slice = 7)
Saturated Fats: 8 gm (1 slice = 1)
Trans Fats: 0 gm (1 slice = 0)
Cholesterol: 0 gm (1 slice = 0)
Sodium: 1183 mg (1 slice = 148)
Carbohydrates: 122 gm (1 slice = 15)
Dietary fiber: 22 gm (1 slice = 3)
Sugars: 1 gm (1 slice = 0)
Protein: 26 gm (1 slice = 3)
Estimated Glycemic Load: 60 (1 slice = 8 )
Nutritional Information estimated at Nutritiondata.com. Data may not be accurate.
Munchkin Helpers:
If you have little ones, here’s how they can help (With close supervision, of course).
My little guy loves to empty the measuring cups I fill into the bowl. Then I turn him loose on the dough. He’ll knead the dough for a good 1/2 hour before he gets sick of it. It’s a great way to keep him entertained for a while, and we get dinner out of it in the end!
Caution: Any time a child is in the kitchen, they will require close supervision. Munchkin Helpers suggestions should be applied with common sense to your own child, taking their own capabilities into account. Do not assume that because it says here that your child can do something, that they can, in fact do it. Please use common sense when in the kitchen with your child(ren).
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