Paleo Pie Crust Recipe
This Paleo Pie Crust Recipe is great for savory or sweet crusts! Just add some coconut sugar for sweet dishes. I love to take my time and make this crust on a weekend when i have more time to chill and roll though dough multiple times to get that flakey texture. I always make more than I need in order to freeze some extra for the next time i need to bake.
This crust is gluten free, dairy free, grain free, egg free, and vegan. This pie crust uses multiple ingredients in order to get that reminiscent flaky texture that wheat provides. Using my favorite flour replacement, cassava flour. I didn’t discover this flour until I tried the AIP diet as a means to help my body recover from multiple ailments. This flour works so well mixed with other ingredients to make food without grains and gluten.
Cassava Flour
Cassava flour comes from the cassava root, also known as yuca, a tuber root vegetable. High in starch and carbohydrates. It has a mild flavor and is soft and pillowy, making it a great wheat flour alternative.
Cassava Four VS Tapioca Flour
While cassava flour and tapioca come from the same plant, they are very different. Tapioca flour/ or also called starch is made up of just the starch from the plant. It is extracted from the wet pulp of the root, and then left to dry leaving just the starch. Which is a great alternative to corn starch. Cassava flour is made from the whole root. I recommend using Otto’s Naturals brand for cassava flour, they have a consistent texture and good quality. Great for Paleo Pie Crust Recipes.
Ingredients
- Cassava Flour (Otto’s Naturals)
- Almond Flour (or for nut free try Tiger Nut Flour)
- Flax Seed Meal (Bob’s Red Mill)
- Tapioca Flour (Anthony’s Organic)
- Chilled Cold Butter (Vegan butter try Miyoko’s) or goat butter, cow butter, lard, palm oil coconut-but will be harder to work with cold.
- Salt (Redmond’s Real Salt)
- Lemon Juice or Vinegar
- Ice Water
- Coconut Sugar (Optional for Sweet Dish’s)
Equipment
- Food Processor or Pastry Cutter
- Bowl
- Rolling Pin
- Parchment Paper (Without this, rolling the dough is a mess trust me!)
- Plastic Wrap or Bees Wax Wrap, to chill the dough
Kneading The Dough
Even though this dough is gluten free, when you “turn the dough” you essentially work the butter into though dough in order to create a flakey texture. Same process as you would for some pastries. When the butter melts during baking it creates little pockets of air lifting though , creating those layers. The dough becomes smoother after a few turns. First you allow the dough to chill in the fridge for 20 mins or more then take it out to roll it out into a rectangular shape, then fold it into thirds. Then place back into the fridge for another 20 mins or more before you roll it out again. I do this two times before putting the crust into the pie dish.
Try this Paleo Pie Crust Recipe with a delicious Paleo Pumpkin Pie, Chicken Pot Pie, or try your hand at canning Paleo Canned Apple Pie Filling and make a Paleo Canned Apple Pie Filling Pie Recipe!
Paleo Pie Crust Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Pastry Cutter or Food Processor
- 1 Bowl
- Measuring tools
- 1 Rolling Pin
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 Cup Cassava Flour Otto's Naturals
- 1 1/3 Cup Almond Flour
- 1/3 Cup Tapioca Flour Anthony's
- 4 Tbsp Flax Seed Meal
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 16 Tbsp Ice Cold Water
- 2 Tbsp Lemon or Apple Cider Vinegar
- 3 Tbsp Coconut Sugar Optional for Sweet Crusts
Instructions
- Add dry ingredients to a bowl, mix together.
- Add butter and cut into dough with pastry cutter.
- Then add in ice water and lemon juice. Continue to cut into dough until dough ball forms.
- Dough will be a little wet and tacky, shape into a ball, wrap and chill for 25 mins.
- First Roll Out- Unwrap dough and roll out into a rectangular shape between 2 sheets of parchment paper dusted with cassava flour to prevent sticking. Then fold into thirds. One end half way over then the other end over on top of the first fold. Wrap and chill another 25 mins.
- Second Roll Out- Repeat previous step, and chill 25 mins.
- Now shape dough into a round disk to make rolling out into pie shape easier. Rollout to about a 12 inch circle, use cassava flour to dust surface. Make sure to do this with parchment paper as well to help prevent sticking.
- Use parchment paper to help flip dough into pie pan, and gently press into pan. Don't worry if there is breakage or cracks, as you can easily repair this using your fingers and extra dough. Fold overhang under and create a a decorative edge if you wish using your thumb and index finger with your knuckle. Then chill dough for another 20 mins before filling and baking.
- (You can leave chilled crust wrapped in fridge for a day or freeze for a month)
- Depending on your recipe, you can bake the crust with your filling now after using a fork to prick the crust or blind bake the crust
- To blind bake the crust prick crust all over with fork to help prevent bubbling
- At 400 degrees bake the crust as is or place parchment paper over crust and fill with pie weights, dry beans, or rice. For 15 mins until crust is cooked, then remove weights and bake another 5-10 more depending on desired color/doneness. For a golden color use an egg wash before baking.
Notes
- Wrap the dough and refrigerate for up to 4 days
- Frozen for up to 3 months
- Can skip the rolling process all together but will have a dough that’s more crumbly and harder to work with.
- Cut the Recipe in half if only needing 1 crust
- Use an egg wash on the bottom crust before baking to create a crispier crust before adding the filling. As well as on the top for a golden color.
