5-Minute Simple Homemade Whole-Grain Pie Crust: Flaky and Buttery

Since starting my freshly milled flour journey, I’ve found that a whole-grain pie crust is one of the easiest baked items to make. It’s quick, simple, and doesn’t require many ingredients. Making a pie crust from scratch really enhances the pie-making experience and tastes so much better than a crust from a box. You’ll never want to go back after you’ve made your own.

I think soft wheat is the best for flaky homemade whole-grain pie crusts, as it will provide the most fork-tender crust due to its lower gluten content (compared to hard wheat). But the neat thing about using freshly milled grains for a pie crust is that you can mix and match. I used soft white wheat and spelt in this particular recipe, but you can do all soft white, or you can experiment with adding in others like buckwheat, kamut, einkorn, rye, etc. Freshly milled whole grains provide many essential vitamins and minerals. There is nothing like the earthy and full flavor of eating a pie crust made from freshly ground wheat berries. The added nutrition is a bonus.

This whole-grain pie crust will tickle those tastebuds for every pie – savory or sweet. So, grab your rolling pin and get going!

Gather Your Supplies

• Food Processor/Blender – I love my Ninja
• Grain Mill
• Spatula
• Plastic wrap or Silicone Mat
• Rolling Pin
• Pie Pan

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Ingredients Needed for Whole Grain Pie Crust

• 1/2 Cup Soft White Wheat Berries
• 1/2 Cup Spelt Berries
• 5 1/2 Tbsp Cold Unsalted Butter
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 5-6 Tbsp Ice Cold Water

Step-by-Step Instructions to Making Whole Grain Pie Crust

1. Mill flour (or pull out a bag from the store) on the fine setting
2. Add flour, salt, and butter to food processor and pulse until you have pea-sized chunks of butter
3. Add water a little at a time, pulsing in between until a dough forms
4. Dump out the dough onto clean rolling surface and gently knead into a cohesive ball
5. Flatten ball to a disc and then roll out the dough to approx. 1/4′ thickness
6. Flip rolled crust into the pie pan and cover well with plastic wrap
7. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use, up to 3 days

Notes:

• Don’t pulse or blend the flour and butter too long, you want the small chunks as they help with flakiness. We also don’t want the butter melting or the crust to get tough.
• Make sure butter is very cold, straight from the fridge .
• I like to set my pie pan on top of the dough to make sure it’s the right shape and size.
• You can use this dough immediately; just be sure it has rested at least 30 minutes in the fridge before using.
• You do not have to roll the dough out before refrigerating, you can refrigerate the dough ball and then roll out the dough once you are ready to make your pie.
• If you don’t have a mill, there are an increasing number of companies providing freshly milled (or close to it) flour, or at least stone-ground whole wheat flour.
• You can blind bake this crust for 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees, or you can bake along with the filling according to your recipe.

Let’s Make a Whole-Grain Pie Crust!

Mill flour (or pull out a bag from the store) on the fine setting, then add flour, salt, and butter to a food processor.

Pulse until you have pea-sized chunks of butter.

Add water a little at a time, pulsing in between until a dough forms. Dump out the dough onto clean rolling surface.

Gently knead into a cohesive ball.

Flatten ball to a disc and then roll out the dough to approx. 1/4′ thickness.

I like to set my pie pan on top of the dough to make sure it’s the right shape and size.

Flip rolled crust into the pie pan and cover well with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use, up to 3 days. You do not have to roll the dough out before refrigerating, you can refrigerate the dough ball and then roll out the dough once you are ready to make your pie.

Using Whole Grain Pie Crust for Sweet or Savory:

I usually add in seasonings to my pie crusts for fun, but they’re totally optional: A tsp of vanilla and a pinch of cinnamon to my sweet pie crusts, or a tsp of garlic powder to my savory pie crusts for things like chicken pot pie or quiche.

Our favorite pies to use this crust recipe include:

• Pumpkin Pie
• Pecan Pie
• Apple Pie
• Peach and Blueberry Pie
• Lemon Meringue Pie
• Creme Brulee Pie
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Quiche

Genius Blender Clean Up Trick

I only learned this trick this past year and it makes such a difference! When you are done using the blender, simply add a squirt of soap and a couple of cups of water. Run the blender on the smoothie, or high setting, and voila a clean blender! No more scrubbing.

FAQS