Queen Bee Pastry Crust
This recipe makes a flaky, sweet crust perfect for fruit pies, tarts or pre-bake crust
for cream pies. If using a savory filling just omit sugar.
Use a pie crust bag, if you have one. You can purchase a pie crust bag on Amazon. Here's a video demonstrating how to use a pie crust bag.
Flour for dusting pastry board: Arrowroot or tapioca starch work great OR whisk together ½ cup each arrowroot and cassava flour OR ½ cup arrowroot and ⅓ cup millet flour. Always use less millet flour as it can be bitter.
Makes two 9” crusts.
3 cups Queen Bee Bread, Biscuit, Pie Flour
1 ½ tsp salt
3 Tb sugar, Sugar Alternatives
¾ cup chilled shortening, or a blend cubed butter and chilled shortening
(Nutiva Superfood Shortening is a great choice or Spectrum non-hydrogenated shortening;
A blend of half Spectrum & coconut oil is an option)
To chill faster, consider spreading shortenings onto a plate and placing in refrigerator.
1 cold egg
1 tsp distilled or apple cider vinegar
7-9 Tb ice cold water
This is optional, but it helps to keep pie crusts from getting soggy:
Egg white wash (in small bowl, whisk one egg white with one tsp of water)
Pastry brush
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour blend, salt and sugar(s).
Cut in chilled shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. If using coconut oil and shortening, you will see chunks of cold coconut oil in the mix. You want this! These cold bits of oil will melt during baking time creating a flaky crust.
In a small bowl, whisk together cold egg, vinegar and ¼ cup of ice cold water. Gradually stir into flour mixture with a fork. Keep adding more ice water until a ball forms, or until dough begins to hold together. DO NOT add too much water or your crust will be tough.
With your hands, mold the dough into two balls, cover with plastic wrap and chill in frig for about 40 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425°
I like to place the bottom crust in the freezer after rolling, to increase flakiness. This is not required.
You can prepare crust just as you would a white flour crust; lightly flour board, roll out bottom crust, place in pie pan, flute edge, prick with fork, brush with egg wash, freeze for ten minutes will preparing second crust, fill and then place top crust, bake.
OR you can use this method: roll out one dough ball between two sheets of wax paper. Invert pie plate over rolled out dough. You want at least an inch of extra dough beyond edge of pie plate. Remove one piece of wax paper and flip the crust onto the pie plate. Press into the pan and then create the edge. Prick dough with a fork (prevents shrinkage) and then brush the unbaked crust with egg white wash. Now place this crust in the freezer while rolling out top crust.
If baking a single crust pie, place crust in freezer for about 10 minutes before filling and baking.
Or go ahead and bake the crust. Bake crust for 11-15 minutes. Check at around 8-9 minutes to make sure it's not getting too dark. Cool crust before filling for cream pies.
If using, roll out your second crust following all the steps. At this point you can freeze this crust for later use. Place pie crust in freezer. When frozen, wrap crust with plastic wrap and then place in a freezer bag. Or you could just freeze the dough ball.
Preventing sogginess options:
Instead of egg white wash, jellies can be brushed onto bottom crust.
Example: apricot jam or jelly for apple pie, strawberry jam or jelly for strawberry rhubarb pie
Melted white chocolate is also makes a great barrier. Keep in mind, as you brush the chocolate onto the cold crust, it will harden.
In Susan G. Purdy’s book, Pie in the Sky, she recommends putting a layer of 2 Tb corn flakes in the bottom of an apple pie in addition to brushing crust with egg white wash to absorb extra juices.
This is not grain free, so using a suitable gluten free cereal flake will work.
Makes two 9” crusts.
3 cups Queen Bee Bread, Biscuit, Pie Flour
1 ½ tsp salt
3 Tb sugar, Sugar Alternatives
¾ cup chilled shortening, or a blend cubed butter and chilled shortening
(Nutiva Superfood Shortening is a great choice or Spectrum non-hydrogenated shortening;
A blend of half Spectrum & coconut oil is an option)
To chill faster, consider spreading shortenings onto a plate and placing in refrigerator.
1 cold egg
1 tsp distilled or apple cider vinegar
7-9 Tb ice cold water
This is optional, but it helps to keep pie crusts from getting soggy:
Egg white wash (in small bowl, whisk one egg white with one tsp of water)
Pastry brush
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour blend, salt and sugar(s).
Cut in chilled shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. If using coconut oil and shortening, you will see chunks of cold coconut oil in the mix. You want this! These cold bits of oil will melt during baking time creating a flaky crust.
In a small bowl, whisk together cold egg, vinegar and ¼ cup of ice cold water. Gradually stir into flour mixture with a fork. Keep adding more ice water until a ball forms, or until dough begins to hold together. DO NOT add too much water or your crust will be tough.
With your hands, mold the dough into two balls, cover with plastic wrap and chill in frig for about 40 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425°
I like to place the bottom crust in the freezer after rolling, to increase flakiness. This is not required.
You can prepare crust just as you would a white flour crust; lightly flour board, roll out bottom crust, place in pie pan, flute edge, prick with fork, brush with egg wash, freeze for ten minutes will preparing second crust, fill and then place top crust, bake.
OR you can use this method: roll out one dough ball between two sheets of wax paper. Invert pie plate over rolled out dough. You want at least an inch of extra dough beyond edge of pie plate. Remove one piece of wax paper and flip the crust onto the pie plate. Press into the pan and then create the edge. Prick dough with a fork (prevents shrinkage) and then brush the unbaked crust with egg white wash. Now place this crust in the freezer while rolling out top crust.
If baking a single crust pie, place crust in freezer for about 10 minutes before filling and baking.
Or go ahead and bake the crust. Bake crust for 11-15 minutes. Check at around 8-9 minutes to make sure it's not getting too dark. Cool crust before filling for cream pies.
If using, roll out your second crust following all the steps. At this point you can freeze this crust for later use. Place pie crust in freezer. When frozen, wrap crust with plastic wrap and then place in a freezer bag. Or you could just freeze the dough ball.
Preventing sogginess options:
Instead of egg white wash, jellies can be brushed onto bottom crust.
Example: apricot jam or jelly for apple pie, strawberry jam or jelly for strawberry rhubarb pie
Melted white chocolate is also makes a great barrier. Keep in mind, as you brush the chocolate onto the cold crust, it will harden.
In Susan G. Purdy’s book, Pie in the Sky, she recommends putting a layer of 2 Tb corn flakes in the bottom of an apple pie in addition to brushing crust with egg white wash to absorb extra juices.
This is not grain free, so using a suitable gluten free cereal flake will work.