Flaky Whole Grain Pie Dough Recipe

This recipe yields enough dough for a double crust pie. A few helpful hints for whole grain pastry:

It's counterintuitive, but whole grain pie dough can actually be more fragile and delicate. Don't be afraid to work your butter in a little more than you normally would: it won't create a tough pastry, but will help with structure and ease of rolling.
The folding of the dough, like a mock puff pastry, helps with structure and flakiness. If you're unsure of the technique, you can always press or roll the dough out into a rectangle, cut it in half, then stack the halves and repeat one more time before chilling the dough.
Whole grain pastry browns faster and deeper, so watch your oven temperature and time. If your pie requires a long baking time, you may need to tent with foil earlier in the bake to prevent excessive browning.
Always remember that not all whole grain flours require the same amount of liquids. Add your cold water as needed, just to bring the dough together.
Mixing 1 C of Rye or Triticale with 2 C of White Wheat is a fun twist to try, especially with apple and fall fruit fillings.

Prep Time

Cook Time

Ingredients

3 C Stone milled, whole grain flour - Sonora is a favorite

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 tsp Kosher Salt

10 oz Unsalted Butter, very cold, cut into cubes

4 oz Cold Water

1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

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Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together Sonora, sugar and salt. Add chilled butter cubes and cut in, using your fingers or a pastry blender, coating the flour well with the butter but leaving some pea-sized pieces of butter visible. Add the cider vinegar and water and mix until dough starts to come together.

2. Pour the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Press into a large disk. Wrap well and chill for 20-30minutes.

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3. Remove dough from refrigerator. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll dough into a rectangle, roughly 6” x 15”. It’s okay if it looks a little shaggy at this point; it will continue to come together as you roll. Fold in thirds like a letter for an envelope. Use a plastic or metal bench scraper to neaten up the edges. Immediately roll again into a 6” x 18”rectangle and fold again. If the dough looks nice and cohesive, divide into 2 equal portions, gently shape each into a round disc, wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least another 30 minutes before rolling out for your pie pan.

*If the dough hasn’t quite come together, wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate for another 30 minutes, then perform one more roll and fold.

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