Easy Money-Saving Whole Wheat Pie Crust Tutorial

If you read around my blog much, you know that our family LOVES quiche. We would eat it twice a week and not complain. For a very long time, I used store-bought refrigerated pie crusts in my quiche. I always felt intimidated by the prospect of making my own. But several months ago, in an effort to cut back even more on the amount of packaged foods in our house, I started doing some research on making simple pie crusts. I experimented with a few different recipes, and finally came up with my own. It makes two crusts, so it's perfect for my quiche recipe, which makes two pies. It could certainly be halved, or doubled if you wanted to freeze the other two crusts.

Here's what you will need:

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour 

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut up

1/4 cup cold water

Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a stand mixer (or in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer or spoon)

Put the butter into the bowl and begin mixing on low-med speed

It will start to combine and look crumbly or cornmeal-ish

Add the water, a little bit at a time.
Increase the speed slightly and scrap the sides of the bowl as it combines.
A dough ball will begin to form and stick to the mixer attachment.
Turn off the mixer.

Lightly flour your two pie plates

Push the dough out of the mixer attachment. Form a ball again.

Dough ball

Divide the dough by eyeballing into your two floured pie plates, sprinkling a little flour on top of each one.

Press dough into pan evenly

Pinch the dough if you want it to look a little more polished (This is totally not necessary; you can just fold it down.)

Refrigerate until you're ready to use it. (Cover it if it will be more than a couple of hours.)

No need to pre-bake this crust. Just pull it out of the fridge, fill it as you desire, and bake! Enjoy!