Vegan Pie Crust

VEGAN PIE CRUST
Not as hard or counter-intuitive as you might think…

Double crust:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbspn sugar (or preferred sugar substitute)
16 Tbspn (2 sticks or apprx 1 cup) shortening*
1/2 tspn salt
6 (about) Tbspns ice-cold water

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

To begin: measure out all the dry ingredients, pour them into a large mixing bowl and blend it all together. Once you feel the sugar and salt are both evenly distributed you can add the shortening(room temperature); incorporating it with slicing and fluffing motions rather than stirring. I usually just use one or two butter knives, arming each hand with a knife allows double slicing action. The result you’re seeking is an almost pebbly texture…the flour and butter have come together to make small pellets.

Add the ice-cold water one Tbspn at a time, making sure to use your knives to sort of “fluff” as you blend. You want to add just enough water so your pellets get bigger (pellets to pebbles to small rocks) and everything gets moist.**

Form your pastry dough into two even balls. Place the one intended for the bottom half of the pie onto a well-floured surface (and I mean well). Smoosh down the ball to make a thick pancake and then flip over, revealing the floured side (making sure to flour below once more). Take your well-floured rolling pin and, as steadily and evenly as possible, roll the pastry dough out from the center. Switch directions every so often to ensure an even crust and symmetrical circle (ish); you’re trying to achieve something roughly 11 inches in diameter. To get the pastry off the surface and into the pie plate I use a very thin, long metal spatula, slowly easing it between being careful not to lift until you’re sure it isn’t sticking anywhere. Flip the pastry in half and then again (so you have a folded quarter of a circle left) and place that in the pie plate, very carefully unfolding so as not to tear.***

Add the filling and repeat the same process with the other ball. Once the top crust is on be sure to seal your edges and if you’re ambitious you can make them wavy by using your finger tips to shape the ridge.


*I recommend using vegetable Crisco…I can sense your hesitation, but really I've experimented with many different forms of shortening (butter, spectrum palm oil, and earth balance; never canola oil...but I've heard terrible things). This makes the best pie crust, just don't go spreading it on everything or eat a whole pie daily and poor health side effects shouldn't come into existence.

**Beware of adding too much water as this will make paste instead of pastry, but don’t under-hydrate either as this will make crumble. But don't give yourself a headache thinking about it because that makes bad pie karma.

***If you do tear you can press it back together and it should be fine. If it’s too dry and won’t stick dip your finger in ice water and smooth it over the break.