As promised, here is the low carb pie crust I've been working on. I want to make a note, though, that this recipe is still in development. I noticed when making this crust that there was still a bit of butter leakage, and though it is flaky it's still not QUITE as flaky as I would like it to be, so I'm going to continue making adjustments to this recipe before I post it over on my cooking blog.
Anyway, here's the recipe as is: * 1/2 cup almond flour (I use Honeyville) * 1/2 cup unflavored whey protein powder * 1/2 cup rice bran * 1 tsp xanthan gum * 1/4 tsp salt * 2 tsp granulated sweetener (optional, omit if making this crust for a savory pie) * 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened but still cool * 3-5 tbsp ice cold water
Sift together all of the dry ingredients and then knead in the butter with your fingers. You want it to all come together in a shaggy, messy ball, with lumps of butter still visible. The dough will be very sandy and dry.
Make a well in the center of the dough and carefully pour in 2-3 tablespoons of water to start. You want to add just enough water so that when you continue to mix by hand the dough is moistened and sticks together, not too much that it feels wet. If you were a baker pre-keto, you'll notice this dough gets sort of a slimy feel to it--that's the xanthan gum interacting with the water. Don't worry! It bakes out, just don't add too much water.
Form the dough into a messy ball and place it on a sheet of plastic wrap. Pat the shaggy dough into a slightly flattened ball and place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, to firm up the butter.
Unwrap the ball and place on a lightly floured work surface (you will need a tablespoon of flour for this part, so if you don't mind a little extra carbs you can just use wheat flour, AP gluten free flour, or if you really want to be purely LC use a little bit of rice bran).
Roll it out into a thick rectangle, about 1/2" thick, 5" wide, and fold it like sort of like a book divided on two hinges. Fold the right "hinge" over the center and then fold the left "hinge" on top of that. Roll out and repeat this step a few more times, then wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill for another 30 minutes or so, until butter is firm again. This step is similar to how you make rough puff pastry, and helps to create layers of butter trapped within layers of dough, which in turn is what makes pastry flaky.
When it the butter is firm but still pliable enough to roll out, roll the dough into a big enough circle to fit a pie plate and carefully transfer. This dough gets sticky quickly as it warms up, so try to be quick and if you need to, sprinkle with a little more of your dusting flour of choice.
Crimp edges and place the prepared pie pan in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 F. When the pie dough is firmed up again, line it carefully with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Cover the top entirely with foil as this dough browns very easily.
Bake 20 minutes, then remove foil, weights, and parchment paper. If you are making a pie that needs the filling baked, this is when you add it and bake as per instructions.
If you're making a pie with a fully baked shell, return the empty shell to the oven for another 20 minutes, until done. I recommend putting the foil loosely back on top for this final stage.
Pictures of the finished crust plus its final incarnation as a delicious chocolate cream pie.
Nutrition per 1/8 of pie crust: 185 calories, 16 grams fat, 5.8 carbs, 2.8 fiber = 3 net carbs, 6.5 grams protein
Submitted September 25, 2014 at 12:30AM by arcadiaisonfire http://www.reddit.com/r/xxketo/comments/2hcu20/recipe_lowcarb_pie_crust/ xxketo
