With the holidays coming fast, it can be helpful to have an easy einkorn lard pie crust recipe that won’t be too crumbly! The key to a perfect einkorn crust is making sure to use enough lard! Additionally, making pies from scratch can be a great way to get your family in the kitchen to bond. It’s also a great way to bring some holiday cheer to your home!
There have been a lot of trials and errors to figure out the right amounts of lard and water to properly moisture the einkorn. However, it was a game changer once I realized that the key to a perfect crust that doesn’t crumble too much is enough lard!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose einkorn flour
- 1 TSP mineral sea salt
- 2/3 cups lard
- 1/2 TSP vanilla extract (for sweet pies)
- 4-6TBSP ice cold filtered water (I used 5)
Steps to Make an Einkorn Lard Crust
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Whisk together.
2. Add the lard in one third at a time. Next, using two knives or a pastry cutter, cut the lard and flour until pea sized crumbs appear. Also, you’ll want to add in your vanilla extract as you are cutting in the lard.
3. Add the ice cold water one TBSP at a time. Using a fork to combine the dough. (you may only need 4 or 5 TBSP so its important to go one at a time)
The dough may seem wet at first but once you add all the water you’ll want to knead the dough until it’s a moist smooth texture to ensure there is no crumbling. Overall, there needs to be enough moisture in the dough so it wont immediately crumble once it’s baked.
4. Roll the einkorn lard dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the wrapped up dough for several hours, at least two hours, or overnight.
This recipe is perfect since you can make your dough ahead of time and use it in the next couple of days! You can even freeze it for future use too.
5. Remove the dough from the fridge 3o minutes to 1 hour before you want to roll it out. It will help make rolling out the dough easier.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the einkorn lard crust from the plastic wrap. On a well floured surface, roll the dough into a 9 inch circle.
6. After that, to ensure your dough doesn’t break while transferring to your pie dish, you’ll want to fold it twice. Once in half and one more time in half again so you can easily move it to your dish. Additionally, make sure your dough is lightly floured so when you fold it the two sides don’t stick together.
7. Transfer your folded einkorn lard pie crust into your dish. Unfold and properly adjust your dough to fit your dish perfectly.
8. Cut the extra dough that’s hanging over the edges of your pie dish.
9. Next, pinch the edges of your einkorn lard pie crust to create a beautiful design on your crusts edges. After that, use a fork to poke holes in the bottom of your einkorn lard pie crust. This ensures the pie will cook without forming a giant air bubble or bursting.
10. Pop your pie in the preheated oven for 10 minutes to slightly bake your crust.
11. Fill your pie crust up with your filling of choice. At this point, you can now follow the recipe you chose to go off of for specific baking times. Pumpkin is one of my favorites! This is how the crust looks after completely baking.
Einkorn Pie Crust Tips
- Remember not to overdo the flour you add to your dough before you place it in the refrigerator. Similarly, you don’t want to dry it out too much otherwise it could end up more crumbly than you’re looking for.
- Einkorn can be tricky to bake with if you aren’t normally using it. In other words, it absorbs moisture differently than other common flours sold at the store.
- You may need a little extra flour or you may need a little extra water. Make sure you are keeping an eye on the texture as you add each TBSP of water. In other words, if your dough looks dry add a little water and if it looks too wet add a bit more flour.
Einkorn Lard Pie Crust
With the holidays coming fast, it can be helpful to have an easy einkorn lard pie crust recipe that wont be too crumbly! The key to a less crumbly einkorn crust is making sure to use enough lard! Making pies from scratch can be a great way to get your family in the kitchen and get holiday cheer to fill your hearts with joy.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose einkorn flour
- 1 TSP mineral sea salt
- 2/3 cups lard
- 1/2 TSP vanilla extract
- 4-6 TBSP ice cold water, I used 5
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and sea salt.
- Add the lard in one third at a time. Using two knives, or a pastry cutter, cut the lard and flour until pea sized crumbs appear. Also, you'll want to add in your vanilla extract as you are cutting in the lard.
- Add the ice cold water one TBSP at a time. Using a fork to combine the dough. (you may only need 3 1/2 TBSP so its important to go one at a time). The dough may seem a bit wet at first once you add in all the water. You want there to be enough moisture in the dough so it wont immediately crumble once it's baked.
- Roll the einkorn lard dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the wrapped up dough for several hours, at least two hours, or overnight.
- Remove the dough from the fridge 3o minutes to 1 hour before you want to roll it out. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and remove the einkorn lard crust from the plastic wrap. On a well floured surface, roll the dough into a 9 inch circle.
- To make sure your dough doesn't break while transferring to your pie dish, you'll want to fold it twice. Once in half and one more time in half again so you can easily move it to your dish. Make sure your dough is lightly floured so when you fold it the two sides don't stick together.
- Transfer your folded einkorn lard pie crust into your dish. Unfold and properly adjust your dough to fit your dish perfectly.
- Cut the extra dough that's hanging over the edges of your pie dish.
- Next, pinch the edges of your pie crust to create a beautiful design on your crusts edges. After that, use a fork and poke holes into the bottom of your pie. This ensures the pie will cook without forming a giant air bubble or bursting.
- Pop your pie in the preheated oven for 10 minutes to slightly bake your crust.
- Fill your pie crust up with your filling of choice. At this point, you can now follow the recipe you chose to go off of for specific baking times.
Notes
Why is Einkorn so Good for us?
Einkorn is an ancient grain that is weak in gluten and high in protein. It’s known for being a great alternative to your commercial wheats that are sold in most stores. Along with that, einkorn is a great choice for those who have an allergy or intolerance to gluten. In addition to that, many people with intolerances to gluten can consume einkorn baked goods with no issue.
Additionally, fewer nutrients are lost in the processing of einkorn compared to wheat flour and especially compared to white flours. Aside from that, it helps to make your baked goods extremely flaky and produces an amazing taste. Overall, einkorn is superior when comparing the nutritional qualities and how they effect the outcome of baked goods!
Ancient wheats have fewer chromosomes than many modern forms of wheat and research tells us that wheat possessing fewer chromosomes also has a lower level of gluten. Modern wheat has 42 chromosomes while surum and emmer have 28. Those are far higher than einkorn which has only 14 chromosomes.
https://healthyfocus.org/the-benefits-of-einkorn-flour/
Lard in a Pie Crust?
Lard will significantly improve the taste and texture of your pie crusts. Likewise, it helps to give your crust a wonderful traditional taste, flaky layers, and a hydrated crust so that doesn’t crumble too much.
Many may not know that lard is the second highest food source of vitamin D, after cod liver oil. Just one single tablespoon of lard contains 1,000 IU’s of vitamin D. Additionally, lard is also high in cholesterol which our organs and bodies thrive on.
Studies show that cholesterol consumption does not carry a cause-and-effect relationship with blood cholesterol levels. This is because the body produces the cholesterol it needs. Providing cholesterol through good quality fats, however, reduces the burden on the body to produce cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol from whole foods like lard supports inflammation management and hormone production.
https://empoweredsustenance.com/lard-is-healthy/
In other words, lard is better suited for pastries because it forms crystals so large they end up creating a noticeably grainy texture to the dough. Which is what produces wonderful flakiness. There is no better substitute for lard when it comes to making pie crust. In conclusion, butter doesn’t even compare to the same stretchable and flaky qualities to lard dough does.
This is how my crust turned out when I cooked a pumpkin pie with this einkorn lard pie crust recipe. The lard truly makes a huge difference!
Recommended Resources
Below I made a list off credible sources for information regarding einkorn and lard. In addition to information on farm fresh meats, organ meat, traditional food preparation techniques, and knowledge on the gut and how we can properly heal.
- Weston A. Price Foundation
- History of Einkorn
- Lard Information
- Gut and Physiology Syndrome book by Dr. Campbell-McBride
- Gut and Psychology Syndrome book by Dr. Campbell-McBride
- Nourishing Traditions book by Sally Fallon
- GAPS, Stage by Stage, With recipes Book by Becky Plotner
- A Campaign for Real Milk
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How did you like this recipe? Let me know down below in the comments. I can’t wait to hear how your einkorn lard pie crust turns out!
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