If I asked you what you disliked about making pie crust, I bet I could guess the top two answers: cutting the butter into the flour and rolling out the dough.
I’m right, huh? That’s how I feel, too, which is why I love this recipe so much. The cutting part is much easier (you’ll see why), and you don’t have to roll it out!
This pie crust also works with sweet or savory fillings, and if you use gluten-free oats, the crust is completely gluten-free!
This ingenious recipe comes from TK member Katy (girlgonecountry) who blogs at The Suburban Girl Gone Country.
Just a handful of ingredients are needed: almond meal/flour, butter, salt, and oat flour. Katy also used a bit of maple syrup, but I left it out because I was using the crust for a quiche and didn’t want the extra sweetness.
Where do you get oat flour? Well, if you have rolled oats and either a powerful blender, food processor, or a spice/coffee grinder, it’s easy. I’ll show you real quick.
Dump. Blend.
I feel like there should be a third step because I like things in groups of three, but that’s it. Really.
Back to the crust. Put the softened butter in a bowl.
Yes, softened. I realize that using soft butter is breaking a cardinal rule of pie crust making, (always use cold butter!!) but it works. Trust me.
Add the salt and smash it around with a fork.
Mashing soft butter is a lot easier than cold butter, don’tcha think?
Add some of the oat flour and mix.
Continue adding the oat flour (in 2-3 portions) until it’s incorporated into the butter.
Now add the almond flour and mix as much as you can with the fork. Using your hands at this point makes it much easier.
The mixture will be quite crumbly. To be honest, I was worried that it would be too dry (because I left out the syrup), but it worked out alright in the end. You could add a tablespoon of water if you’re really concerned about it. But don’t add too much or it’ll be mushy.
Dump the mixture into a pie plate.
Press the dough out evenly. Bake the crust at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes if you’re planning on baking the filling inside the crust later. If you’re going to add a cold filling, bake the crust for 20 minutes at the same temperature.
I used the crust for a quiche, which is one of my favorite clean-out-the-fridge meals. (This one happened to be filled with leftover bits of steak from Valentine’s Day, shredded Brussels sprouts, feta, and salsa for some kick. Great combo!)
The crust held up well being baked for almost an hour, and it wasn’t too brown!
The real test, though, was slicing it. I seriously had doubts that it would stay in one piece.
But it did!
I also picked at the back of the crust to see if it was flaky. Yep. No soggy crust back there.
I believe we have a winner, folks. I really liked the crust’s nutty flavor, too. The taste and texture reminded me of a graham cracker crust, but not as sweet. I can only imagine what a sweet version would taste like!
Be sure to check out Katy’s TK recipe box and lovely blog, The Suburban Girl Gone Country for more delicious-looking recipes, many of which are also gluten-free!
As always you’ll find the full recipe and printable below.
This 50/50 combination of oat and almond flour makes an amazing pie crust.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a pie dish with parchment paper with opposing sides exposed (your handles so you can take the pie out of the dish)—I just put a straight sheet of parchment paper in there.
Mix the butter, maple syrup and sea salt in a large bowl with a fork. If your butter is still cold, just work the fork into it more. Add 1/4 of the oat flour and stir and mash. Add the rest slowly while stirring and mashing (this will help the butter even out easily).
Next, add the almond meal and stir and mash. Use your hand to ensure that butter is worked into the dough evenly.
Press the dough in to the prepared pie dish. Bake at 350ºF for 10 minutes if you are going to bake a pie, or 15 minutes if you are going to fill the crust with a no-bake filling.
Let cool completely before filling the pie.
4 Tablespoons Butter, Left Out At Room Temperature For At Least 1 Hour2 Tablespoons Pure Maple Syrup¼ teaspoons Sea Salt1 cup Oat Flour (ground In A Clean Coffee Grinder)1 cup Almond Meal (Trader Joe's Brand Works Well)
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Be sure to check out Natalie’s own beautiful food blog, Perrys’ Plate, where you can see her growing collection of lovely recipes. There’s always something new to see there. Go visit now!
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