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Everyone needs one simple pie crust recipe that always works. I’ve had problems with finding one for so long I almost gave up. And then, I’ve created it. The perfect vegan pie crust recipe.
The story of the perfect pie crust
I remember when I first started baking regularly in primary school. One of the hardest things at the time was making a pie. I tried countless recipes and none worked. And I wasn’t even vegan then! It seemed like all recipes online lie – there was not one that worked well for me (lack of experience?). Except for my mother’s pie crust recipe. Oh, how I loved that apple pie!
Going vegan presented me with a new problem: perfect vegan pie crust is even harder to find, especially a recipe without margarine. I tried multiple recipes, experimented on my own, tried veganizing my mother’s recipe, called my grandma … nothing seemed to work. Until one day, when baking cookies, I realized: pie crust is not too far from cookie dough.
Puzzles started falling together:
- A good pie crust needs to have flour to butter ratio of approx. 2:1
- Coconut oil is fattier than butter, therefore I need less of it
- All-purpose flour is best
- Wholemeal flour is no good (unless mixed with all-purpose)
- If I use coconut oil, keeping the dough in the fridge makes things worse, but I do need to use cold butter
I’m always up for healthy options, so using wholemeal flour and as little fat as possible is my go-to guideline when creating recipes. But pie crust is different. Pie crust is just not too healthy.
How to make it
I’m adding a recipe below, so go ahead and check it for exact measurements.
1.I first add flour, sugar, and salt to a large bowl and mix it using a whisk. I want all the ingredients to be as evenly distributed as possible. Then I add coconut oil.
2. I tend to use oil from the fridge, so it’s hard. It’s a bit hard to work with because it’s a brick. I try to cut it into very small pieces so it’s easier to mix it with flour. During winter I don’t have to keep oil in the fridge – it’s hard at room temperature and a bit easier to work with.
3. Then I knead the dough. Don’t *really* knead it, we don’t want gluten to start forming bonds. What we need is a crumbly texture – all flour needs to get in touch with oil, so no dry chunks.
4. After that, I add cold water or plant milk, tablespoon by tablespoon. It depends on flour how much liquid you’ll need for your dough, so observe the consistency. You want your dough to stick together, so you can roll it out and it will stay in that shape (but not crack and fall apart). But it shouldn’t be too soft, because you’re not making a cake or a scone. You should get a nice, smooth ball of dough that sticks together, doesn’t resemble a brick, and keeps the shape you give it.
Here’s the fun part that you totally should know about: the easiest way to roll it out and move it to your pie tin.
1. Place your dough between two sheets of parchment paper. They need to be big enough so you can place a big circle of dough in-between. Then using a roller, roll out your dough. This method keeps your roller and your surface clean. No fuss, baby!
2. Once your rolled-out dough is thin enough and big enough, remove one sheet of parchment paper. Flip the dough into a greased pie tin so that the dough is in the tin and the second parchment paper is on top. Remove that paper and, using your hands, adjust the dough to the pie tin.
3. Another method is to flour your surface well and add your dough to the surface. Then press it down to flatten it a bit. Flour the top of your dough, and flour your roller. Then roll the dough out. This method is a bit messier, but it works just as well.
4. You might need to use more flour as you roll out your dough. It sometimes sticks to the surface, or the roller, so just sprinkle more flour all around the place.
5. Don’t forget to grease your pie tin.
6. Then gently lift your dough and move it to the pie tin. Adjust it to the shape of the tin.
7. In both cases, remove the remaining dough by cutting it away with a knife or with scissors.
8. In case you’re using a non-bake filling for your pie, you’ll need to pre-bake the dough. For that, you’ll need a small piece of parchment paper. You place it into the tin, on top of the dough. Then put in your weighs. I’m using (and reusing) dried beans, but you can go the fancy way and buy ceramic balls for blind-baking.
9. Bake your dough for 10 minutes with the weighs. Then remove the weights and bake for another 5-7 minutes without weighs and parchment paper.
10. After the dough is baked, let it cool down a bit and pour in your pie filling, whatever it may be.
11. You can of course also bake the filling along with the dough. In that case, pour or put the filling into the dough before baking and bake according to the filling you’re using.
This dough can be used for pies or galettes, it works well with all flavours and textures. It’s easily adjustable for different tins and quite easy to work with. For braids and other detailed work, I prefer using sourdough pie crust – I find it very flexible and it’s also super delicious. But for casual pies, especially cream pies, I always use this dough.
Q&A
Can I make this crust salty?
Absolutely. Just leave out the sugar and add more salt. You can even add spices for more taste, depending on the filling. You can use it for salty galettes or quiches, too.
Can I use other sweeteners?
Yes. You can use any crystalized sweeteners, as well as syrups. If you’re using liquid sweeteners like agave or maple syrup, make sure to add less milk.
I want to make it healthier and use wholemeal flour – can I?
You can try, but I recommend you at least mix it with all-purpose. Wholemeal doesn’t hold together too well and the crust tends to tear up or break. I would use 50:50, but you can play around yourself and see what works best with the flours you have at hand.
Do I need to use coconut oil?
No, you can use margarine, but I don’t like it so I use coconut oil. Be aware that if you’re using margarine or any other vegan butter, the amount might differ.
Do you like pies? Then you need to try my super creamy vegan chocolate pie or vegan spiced pumpkin pie. If you’re feeling more like summer desserts, then try summer vegan peach galette
Are you using my recipes? Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @littlekitchenvibes and use #littlekitchenvibes
Perfect vegan pie crust
Ingredients
- 200 g flour all-purpose
- 100 g coconut oil cold / hard
- pinch salt
- 20 g sugar
- 4-5 tbsp plant milk or as needed
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add coconut oil and knead to create a crumbly texture.
- Add milk, starting with 3 tbsp and adding more as needed. Knead to create a soft, yet firm ball of dough.
- Roll it out so it's 3-5 mm thick. See the instructions above to learn how to do it.
- Then take the dough and place it to a greased pie tin. Adjust and remove the remaining dough.
- In case you're using a non-bake filling for your pie, pre-bake the dough. Place a bit of parchment paper into the pie tin, ontop of pie crust. Weigh it down with ceramic balls or dried legumes and bake for 10 minutes at 180°C. Then remove the weighs and bake for another 5-7 minutes. Let it cool down before adding your non-bake filling.
- If you're using a filling that bakes, then proceed without prebaking your pie crust. Add the filling and bake as the pie filling instructions say.
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