Never Fail (Dairy-Free) Pie Crust

For those who avoid butter, Crisco and lard this crust is dependable and delicious. It will flake beneath your fork yet keep a tenderly crisp bottom— not too hard and not too soft. Although the coconut oil should work well straight out of the fridge or a cold cupboard, you may have to let it sit on the counter for ten minutes or so if it is too cold to be workable. Conversely, if the kitchen is warm, you may have to place it in the fridge to let it firm up a bit before attempting to cut it into the flour. It is possible to make this stretch dough to cover two 9″ pans, but 8” pans will give you a little extra wiggle room. From the Joyful Pantry Blog.

(Makes two 8″ pies)

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cups coconut oil

  • 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 5-6 Tbs ice cold water

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

  2. Combine the flour and salt. You can do this by hand or with a food processor.

  3. Cut in the coconut oil until it is mixed through the flour in pea-size pieces.

  4. Stir in the water, mixing just until combined. Separate the dough into two equal portions, and pat each into a flat, round disc. Chill before rolling out.

  5. On a floured surface, with a floured rolling pin, roll out one of the discs until about half the size of your pie pan. Using a spatula, carefully separate the dough from the counter, working around in a circle to make sure none of the dough is sticking to the surface below. Flip the dough. Continue to roll out until it is large enough to fill the pie pan with about 1″ overlap on all sides.

  6. Again use the spatula to carefully separate the dough from the countertop. Then lift the crust off the counter and place in the pan. Press it down against the bottom and sides and crimp the edges. Prick the bottom with a fork about 5 or 6 times.

  7. After filling the pie with your favorite pie filling, roll out the top crust, and lay it over the top of the pie. Cut off any extra. Dab a bit of water on the edges and crimp together.

  8. Cut vent holes in the top of the pie, and cook as directed.