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If you're wondering if you can make a delicious and whole grain pie crust, then let me just tell you, you can! With more health benefits than using all purpose flour, whole grains give your sweet or savory pie a rich flavor your whole family will love!

From apple pie to a savory havarti quiche (see recipe at the bottom), this all butter pie crust is a winner!

Why Use Whole Grains

Bottom line, using whole grain flour, such as whole wheat, spelt, or einkorn, contains the entire grain ground up. This includes the endosperm, bran, and the germ, most of which are removed from regular white flour. 

The fact that the fiber is still present in whole grain flour also makes it more beneficial and whole grain flours can even be easier on blood sugar than their processed counterparts. If you're interested in learning more about whole grains and whole grain baking, check out my full posts here:

• Quick Guide to Whole Grains for Baking: Get a fast rundown on how to use whole grains in baking and ways to swap if you're using all-purpose.
• What I Use to Mill Grains at Home: Check out my Youtube video to see how I mill grain at home in seconds. 

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Ingredients for Whole Wheat Pie Crust

To make this whole grain pie dough at home, here are the simple ingredients you'll need:

• 1 ½ cups soft wheat flour, freshly milled if possible (also known as whole wheat pastry flour)
• 4 Tablespoons salted butter, cold
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼-1/2 cup ice water

Supplies for whole wheat pastry crust

• Large bowl
• Food processor (optional) (I have a Cuisinart Food Processor for 10 years that works well!)
• Pastry mat (Try this pastry mat from Silpat!)
• Plastic Wrap
• Rolling Pin (I use my grandmothers, but I'd go with a french rolling pin if I was getting on today.)

How to Make a Homemade Pie Crust

1. To start, make sure you butter is cold, and if you milled your flour, allow it to cool to room temperature. (Freshly milled whole-wheat flour can be warm from going through the mill, and we don't want that to warm up the butter.)Place ice and water in a liquid measuring cup and set to the side. 
2. In a large bowl or bowl of a food processor, combine dry ingredients, flour and salt. 

3. Using a sharp knife, cut cold butter into chunks and add to bowl. 
4. If you're not using a food processor, use a pastry blender or fork to break up butter into flour mixture until it looks like coarse sand. If using a food processor, add butter and pulse several times until butter and flour resembles coarse sand. 
5. Slowly begin adding ice cold water to the flour-butter mixture. Mix or pulse after each addition.
6. Continue to add small amounts of water until dough comes together in the bowl, or pulsing until the dough forms a ball. You can also test by pinching some of the dough together, it if holds, then it's ready. 

7. Lay a piece of plastic wrap on counter and place pie dough on top. Wrap in plastic and shape into a disc. Place in fridge for at least one hour.
8. When ready to use, lightly flour your work surface and roll dough into desired shape. 
9. Place in pie pan and trim edges, fluting if you'd like. Add pie filling and bake or proceed to blind baking.

Blind Baking a Whole Grain Pie Crust

​If your recipe calls for a blind baked crust, simply follow these guidelines:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Keep rolled out crust in the fridge until ready to bake. 
• Place a sheet of parchment paper on top of crust and use pie weights or beans to hold it down. 
• Bake for 15-20 minutes. 
• Remove parchment paper and weights. Use a fork to poke holes in the bottom of the crust, then return crust to oven for 10 minutes or so, until golden brown. 

Blind baking crusts is helpful for getting the crust done in the case of a recipe where the filling may not need as much time. This can be done for both sweet pies and savory pies. Try my Kale and Havarti Quiche recipe for an easy brunch or dinner!

​Whole Grain Pie Crust FAQ's

• Can whole wheat pie crusts be frozen to use later? Yes, you can wrap the dough into discs as mentioned above, place in a freezer bag and freeze for up to three months. Blind-baked pie crusts can also be stored in the freezer, but should be used sooner. 
• Can I use regular whole wheat flour for pie crust? At the end of the day, you can use what you like, but for best flavor, the whole-wheat pastry flour is my favorite. If you only have a store-bought whole wheat flour (such as a hard red or hard white flour), then consider removing some of the whole wheat flour and adding in all-purpose to lighten it up. 
• Can I swap unsalted butter in this recipe? ​Absolutely, I had salted Irish butter on hand for this one, but you can certainly use unsalted and increase the salt to ½ teaspoon. 

More Whole Grain Recipes

Want more ways to use whole grains in your day to day baking and cooking? Try these recipes:

• Whole Grain Skillet Peach Cobbler: If you're looking to add some whole grains to a classic summer dessert, then look no further than this delicious peach cobbler. Made in a cast iron skillet, this is a fruit-filled favorite perfect when topped with ice cream. 
• Whole Wheat Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze: For the breakfast or brunch lover in all of us, these delicious and tender scones use whole grain flour and fresh, sweet blueberries. Enjoy them any time of day. 
• Honey Whole Wheat Bread: Perfect for any bread machine, this honey whole wheat bread will have you immediately rethinking that all whole wheat bread is dense. This easy recipe is soft and delicious. 
• Easy No-Knead Whole Wheat Baguettes: This incredibly easy bread recipe is a mix it and forget it type. Simple ingredients yield two crusty baguette loaves perfect for any weeknight dinner, and they make incredibly delicious sandwiches. My kids have a hard time not tearing off chunks as they pass by. 

If you'd like to learn more about whole grain baking or growing fresh food at home, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter. Each week brings helpful tips and recipes for you to use at home!