Recipe for How to Make the Perfect Flaky Einkorn Pie Crust (2024)

Is there really a “pie season?” I don’t think so. Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall…We eat pie in one and all! Let’s face it. The biggest turn off to making a pie is the crust. Unless of course, you get a frozen store bought crust, rolling out your own can be daunting. Even so, nothing can beat a flaky, buttery soft pie crust. It makes the pie. A crust can also unmake the pie, which is why I set out to find the perfect flaky einkorn pie crust. Here it is folks.

Recipe for How to Make the Perfect Flaky Einkorn Pie Crust (1)

We moved into our farmhouse and I had a goal. In my mind a gal couldn’t live in such a charming old farmhouse and NOT know how to make a pie. So I would learn. I’ve made a lot of mistakes while learning. Soft gooey crust pies, pudding in the middle pies, burned crusts, sour pie: you name it. I feel for the people who’ve had to eat my “learning” mistakes. I still make mistakes, but I’m also becoming more confident in what I’ve learned.

There are two pieces to a good pie no matter whether it’s a fruit pie, a meat pie or a pot pie. You have the filling and the crust. Today we’ll focus on the crust because everyone wants a perfect flaky crust. I want a perfect flaky einkorn pie crust and that’s just what I’ve got to share with you!

Recipe for the Perfect Flaky Einkorn Pie Crust

Recipe for How to Make the Perfect Flaky Einkorn Pie Crust (2)

Before you begin

Get out your supplies:

Rolling pin
parchment paper
bowl
cup measures
spoon measures
Refrigerate the butter so its very cold

Ingredients for the Perfect Flaky Einkorn Pie Crust

2 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Einkorn Flour
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1/2 Cup Chilled Butter (grass fed is best!)
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
Approximately 3/4 cups very cold water

How to Make Your Einkorn Pie Crust

In a large cup, drop a few ice cubes, then pour 3/4 cup of water into the cup. Let the cup sit while you prepare the rest of the crust.
In a medium sized bowl add your flour and salt and mix together.
Cut in the butter. I like to do this by cutting the butter length wise three times, turning 45 degrees and cutting length wise two to three times again. Watch this biscuit video at 2:42 to see it in action. for a better view of this. Alternatively, you can grate very cold butter using a cheese grater. I’ve also known people who use a pastry cutter or just make the whole crust in a food processor. I prefer to cut in the butter myself but whatever floats your boat!
Add in vinegar and slowly add in your very cold water from the cup. Stop adding water when the crust begins to pull into a ball. You may not need the whole 3/4 cups so work the dough as you pour in the water little by little. When the dough is beginning to stick together, don’t add any more water! Take the dough out and continue to knead on a lightly floured surface as it comes together.
Using a rolling pin, roll into a 12″ x 12″ circle or whatever shape needed for your specific project.
Bake according to your recipe.

Recipe for How to Make the Perfect Flaky Einkorn Pie Crust (3)

Tips for Making Your Pie Crust

Make sure you use enough dough around the edge of your pie crust. One of a baker’s biggest worries is that the edges will burn in the oven. Flatten the crust edge down a little. Use a pie crust cover or make your own by cutting an “O” shape sized to the pie. This will protect the crust if after 10-15 minutes, the crust is browning quickly.

Recipe for How to Make the Perfect Flaky Einkorn Pie Crust (4)

Freeze for 15 min before baking or refrigerate if it’ll be more than 20 minutes until you bake it.

Flaky Einkorn Pie Crust Recipe

Ingredients

2 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Einkorn Flour
1 teaspoon Sea Salt
1/2 Cup Cold Grass Fed Butter
1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
Approximately 3/4 Cup very cold water

Instructions

1. In medium bowl, mix together the flour and salt. Cut butter into small pea sized chunks and mix into dry ingredients.

2. Add in vinegar and slowly add in cold water, Only add water until the crust begins to pull into a ball. Continue to knead crust into a ball on a lightly floured surface.

3. Roll into a 12 by 12 inch circle or other shape if needed for specific baking project.

Notes

To Freeze:

Roll out into crust, then place on parchment paper. Place a second piece of parchment on top and roll roll into a cylinder shape. Cover with plastic wrap or place in a freezer bag. Store in freezer for up to a week. Take out 3-4 hours before baking and remove plastic wrap to thaw.

Common Questions

Can I substitute the Butter with Coconut Oil?

Unfortunately, this won’t work because the fat’s role in this recipe is for texture. Coconut oil will not create the same flaky crust due to it’s melting point and the chemistry of the oil versus that of the butter.

Can I use whole grain einkorn as a substitute for all-purpose einkorn flour?

This recipe is made specifically for all-purpose einkorn flour. While whole grain flour could be used, the texture would be changed and the ingredients may need to be adjusted. The more I’ve used einkorn, the more I realize how different whole grain and all-purpose einkorn are in recipes. You can learn more in post about starting to bake with einkorn. I will keep you posted on a whole grain version of this crust.

Recipe for How to Make the Perfect Flaky Einkorn Pie Crust (6)

Is there a trick to getting the crust into the pie dish without it falling apart?

Try this. Once you roll the crust out flat, lift the edge of the crust over the rolling pin and roll it up around the rolling pin. Use a knife or food scraper if the dough sticks to the counter. Unroll the crust into your pie plate.

Can I freeze this for later use?

Yes! To freeze, take out your parchment paper. Place a square of parchment over the rolled out crust. slowly roll the crust and parchment as one until it resembles a loose log shape. Cover this with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and freeze for up to a month.

On baking day, remove the outer wrapping and let the crust thaw for 2 hours before baking.

Can I start this the night before?

Absolutely! You can do this a couple different ways.

Combine the ingredients into a ball of dough, flatten into a disc, cover with plastic and refrigerate over night. The next day, take it our to thaw. Then roll the dough out and bake into a pie.
Finish mixing the ingredients into dough and roll out into crust. Place crust into a pie dish and cover with a towel or plastic wrap until you make the pie the next day.

Where Can I Buy Einkorn Flour and Wheat Berries?

I have two places I regularly purchase einkorn.

I get my all-purpose einkorn flour at Azure Standard. They carry both Jovial Foods brand and Their own Azure Einkorn Flour.
I purchase whole einkorn berries to mill at home through Einkorn.com. I’ve been very happy with their quality and pricing and love that they’re local to the northwest. An einkorn grown in Idaho!

Recipe for How to Make the Perfect Flaky Einkorn Pie Crust (7)

More Recipes with Einkorn Flour

Sourdough Einkorn Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin Recipe

How to Make Christmas Chocolate Chip Cookies with Einkorn

Overnight Sourdough Bagels with Einkorn

FAQs

What is the best flour to use in flaky pie crust? ›

What kind of flour makes the best pie crust? Well, not high-protein bread flour! Use that for your chewy bagels. What you want for pie is flour that yields a tender, flaky crust, which means medium-protein all-purpose flour or low-protein pastry flour.

Learn More Now ›

Which is the best fat to use when making a flaky pie crust? ›

Vegetable Shortening

As shortening is able to withstand higher temperatures and does not melt easily, it creates flaky and crisp yet tender pie crusts when used alone or in combination with butter.

Tell Me More ›

What are the six ways to ensure a tender flaky pie crust? ›

7 pie crust tips for tender, flaky results every time

1Keep the dough ingredients cool.
2Use a light touch.
3Hydrate the dough (but not too much)
4Chill the dough.
5Keep the dough from sticking.
6Roll the dough out evenly.
7Relax.

Nov 4, 2022

Learn More Now ›

How does a pie crust get its flaky texture? ›

First, you have to understand what makes a pie crust—or any dough for that matter—flaky. Pieces of fat (like butter) get trapped between layers of starch in a dough, then melt rapidly in the oven heat, creating steam and little pockets of air in the dough where the butter chunks used to be.

How long should you chill pie dough before rolling out? ›

I always chill my dough for at least 2 hours before rolling out, and then chill again for at least 1 hour after shaping in the pie pan. There are undoubtedly faster methods out there, but this is what I've found to work best for me in terms of maintaining pretty crimps and the overall shape of the crust.

View Details ›

What ingredient do you believe plays an important role in creating a flaky and tender crust or pastry dough? ›

Shortening gives you better flakes because it melts so slowly that the dough surrounding the piece of shortening has more time to cook before the fat melts. This leaves you with bigger pockets or flakes in your pie dough. Butter gives you flavor and tenderness, shortening gives you flakes.

Get More Info Here ›

What does vinegar do in a pie crust? ›

The acidic properties of vinegar inhibit gluten, some will say. This theory proposes that once the water and flour are combined, gluten starts forming, causing the dough to grow tough. Adding an acid, the theory goes, stops the gluten in its tracks and rescues the crust from toughness.

Show Me More ›

Should pie dough be room temperature before baking? ›

Chilling the ingredients prevents the butter from melting, which would allow the water in the butter to interact with the gluten in the flour, resulting in a less-flaky, more bread-like dough. The ideal temperature is usually “room temperature”—generally considered to be 68-72°F.

Why is strong flour used in flaky pastry? ›

The amount of gluten in strong flour helps bakers produce more chewy, light, and structured baked goods. On the contrary, flour with a lower gluten content, such as cake flour or pastry flour, will produce a tender and less structured product that can easily crumble which is easier on the digestive system.

See Details ›

Why is plain flour used in flaky pastry? ›

Flour- Flour forms the structure of the pastry. Soft plain flour (low gluten content) used in shortcrust to give a short crumb. Strong plain flour (high gluten content) used in flaky/rough puff pastry to give the pastry its elasticity.

Keep Reading ›

What flour should I use for pie? ›

Unbleached all-purpose flour is typically chosen for standard pie crusts. It must be handled appropriately to yield a crust that is both tender and flaky. Too much flour can create a tough or dry crust; not enough may flour may lead to a wet crust that shrinks upon baking.

Discover More Details ›

What is the best flour used for pastry? ›

Pastry Flour

Falling between all-purpose and cake flour, pastry flour is also made from soft wheat, but with a 7–9 percent protein content. It produces both the tender crumb and flaky texture that is desired in most pastries. It should not be used for baking bread because it has too little gluten.