This is truly a miracle recipe for pie crust.
I know this from years of experience. I remember the first time I had to make a pie crust for my employer (while babysitting and feeding dinner to her two children) and she insisted I use only butter, a little salt, and white flour in the recipe. It was impossible! Every time I would roll out the dough, it would stick to the surface of the board and the rolling pin, and totally break apart when I tried to pick it up. I finally had to settle for an unattractive and disappointing pie.
Then later, I found a recipe from Hints From Heloise for “Foolproof Pie Crust,” which included a little water mixed with an egg and a tablespoon of vinegar. That’s the recipe that I continued to use for years because it was so manageable, albeit not so very tasty.
So now, I finally have the best recipe ever for a delicious and very healthy pie crust. I found it on page 73 of Zen Macrobiotics, by George Ohsawa, and I wonder how I could have missed it!
It uses only seven ingredients, including two vegetable oils (and not that much of it), whole wheat flour, and water, plus a little seasoning of salt, cinnamon, and orange peel. The dough keeps well in the refrigerator, for 6 days at least, and is always easy to roll out into a very thin layer. It never breaks apart and is easy to pick up and position in the pie plate. And best of all, it is delicious!
Ohsawa Pie Crust
(Enough for both a top and a bottom crust)
1 cup flour (I used whole wheat flour)
3 tablespoons of oil (equal parts of olive oil and sesame oil)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, unrefined
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange rind, minced (I used a tiny-holed grater)
1/4 to 1/2 cup (or more) water
Blend all of the ingredients together to form a soft dough. (I used an electric mixer.)
Roll out the dough on a smooth, cold surface using a heavy marble rolling pin if possible. (This really makes it easier to roll the dough out very thin.) I sprinkled a little flour on the surface first to help keep the dough from sticking, but I don’t know if it was really that necessary. I was able to handle the dough without it sticking to my hands.
See also:
Ohsawa Pumpkin Pie Filling
Related Blog Articles:
Re-Reading "Zen Macrobiotics"
No More Sugar (Saturday, January 1, 2011)
One Week Since No More Sugar
