Spelt Flour Pie Crust

Homemade pie crust is a skill every home baker should learn to master. If it isn't one you feel comfortable with, let me show you how to make this Spelt Flour Pie Crust that is simple to make and works well for so many bakes.

Why This Recipe?

What makes this pie dough so good? The flavor of a whole wheat pie crust is the best. I love using it as the base for my favorite quiche, or even a wide variety of berry and apple pies. The earthy flavor is one you don't want to miss.

If you have never tried spelt flour before, I think you will fall in love with this whole-grain flour just like I did.

It is really simple to make. I use my food processor to make mine and can generally make it within about 5 minutes. If you don't have a food processor, don't stress, I will show you how to make it without it too. All you need is an inexpensive pastry blender.

I am going to show you 2 different recipes for making spelt pie dough. One is a 100% spelt pie dough, the other is a blend of spelt and all-purpose. I prefer the blend as it is easier to work with, but I wanted to give both recipes so you can try them and decide.

Keep reading for detailed instructions on how to make this pie crust. I want to help you learn this skill!

This can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for 5 days or in the freezer for 1 month. I love to keep it on hand for my baking.

Ingredients

• Spelt flour- You can either buy the spelt flour, or if you are ready to invest in a grain mill, Nutrimill is my go-to grain mill and well worth the investment. I buy my spelt grains from Azure Standard. I love their prices and quality.
• Salt- it only takes a little, but it is worth it.
• Butter- this is an all-butter crust. It is my preferred fat for pie crust. This has got to be chilled, do not use softened butter. You can use unsalted butter if you like, but this recipe is designed with salted. If you do use unsalted, add in another ¼ teaspoon salt.
• Ice Water- Cold water is a must for the best pie dough.

How To Make

Food processor method- Add all dry ingredients to the food processor and pulse a few times. Cut chilled butter into 1-inch chunks add to the food processor and pulse 5 or 6 times.

The butter should be broken into small pieces. Last is the ice water (don't add in the ice, just the ice water). Pulse until it just starts to come together. Don't overdo it. Divide the dough in half and wrap it with plastic wrap. It goes into the fridge for at least 2 hours before working with it.

Pastry cutter method- Add dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix well. Next, add in your 1-inch butter chunks. With the pastry blender, cut the butter pieces into about the size of a pea, as shown in the video. Last, add in the ice water and mix to combine with the pastry cutter. Divide the dough in half, wrap it with plastic wrap, then place the pastry dough in the fridge.

100% Whole Wheat Pie Crust or Blend

Now, this recipe can be made in 2 ways. You can either use 100% whole spelt flour or you can use a blend. I will line out both options and you can choose what you want to do.

Let's start with the recipe that uses only Spelt flour.

Because it only uses whole grain flour, it is a little stiffer dough. This makes it a little harder to work with (not impossible, just harder). I love using this for galettes, pie rounds, etc. Projects I am not working on too much.

Next up is the recipe that uses a blend of all-purpose flour and spelt flour.

This is my preferred method and the one my family loves the best. I use 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour and 1 cup spelt flour.

The blend is so much easier to work with as the all-purpose flour softens the dough. It is perfect for forming pies and even creating designs with the dough.

How To Get The Perfect Flaky Pie Dough

Let me share a few tips that will help you get the perfect pie dough every single time, even if you are new to it.

• The first thing to know is the pie dough has to be chilled until it hits the oven. The reason for this is you want chunks of butter throughout the dough when it goes in the oven. Then as it bakes that butter finally melts and creates small pockets in the dough, creating layers. This keeps the dough flaky and tender.
• Another thing to do is make sure you have everything ready before you start. Cut up the butter and place it in the fridge, then get the ice water ready too. That way when it is time to add them in, they are ready to go. It comes together really fast!
• Make sure the dough is chilled before you start working with it. This helps the gluten to relax and also gives the dough time to chill again.
• A preheated oven is essential too. You want that dough to hit a hot oven when it is time!
• When you are working the dough, make sure you use a floured surface, but don't overdo it. You only want enough so the dough won't stick, but not so much that you work in a lot of extra flour into the dough. I regulate this by flicking flour across my work surface. You can also roll between 2 layers of parchment paper, but I think that is a little excessive.

What Is Spelt?

It is a member of the wheat family but has several distinct and unique properties. Also, it is the same genus, different species as wheat. It dates back to 2500 BC, when I say ancient, I mean it.

It is gaining in popularity in recent years for good reason. It is my very favorite whole-grain flour and I use it ALL the time! I love both the taste and texture.

What Can I Do With the Spelt Pie Crust Recipe?

Let me say to preface this- the blended pie dough (all-purpose and spelt) is much easier to work with, especially if you aren't used to working with whole wheat baked goods.

The 100% dough is a little more stiff and difficult to shape. Keep this in mind. I love using the 100% for galettes and pie pops. The blend you can use for anything, just like a regular all-white pie crust.

The cool thing about this pie dough is there is so much you can do with it! Love a savory pie? This dough is perfect for those. If sweet pies are your thing, you will love this recipe for them.

I love it for pumpkin pie, the nutty flavor from whole wheat flour is perfect for fall pies. A spelt crust is great for pecan pie as well. Or how about apple pie? We can keep going with this- what about cherry pie?

Notes

• There are a few important things to remember about making homemade pie dough.
• The first is the best pie dough stays chilled until you place it in the oven. When the dough is baked the chilled dough will melt and form little pockets, this is what will give you the tender and flaky pie dough.
• Next, if you do not mill your own grains, no problem. I would recommend mixing the flour up just a bit before measuring. The flour compacts in storage and shipping, so make sure you loosen it up by mixing with a fork.
• Once the pie dough is made, you can wrap in saran wrap and place it in the freezer. It will hold frozen for up to a month! When you are ready to use it, place it in the fridge overnight.
• The dough will hold in the fridge for 3 days. After 3 days it will start to discolor just a bit. This isn't bad and won't make you sick you can easily use this dough for up to 6 days in the fridge. It will darken slightly but is still good.

This recipe makes enough for a double-crust pie, or you can use it for 2 single-crust pies.

Pie Recipes

• Nectarine and Balckberry Pie
• Apple Pie
• Cherry Slab Pie
• Chocolate Pecan Pie
• Pumpkin Praline Pie

• Pie
• Spelt Flour