The Ultimate Healthy Pie Crust

Ingredients

Directions

1. Whisk together the flour and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter (recommended!) or the back of a fork until the mixture resembles crumbs.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and 1 teaspoon of water, and drizzle over the flour mixture. Mix until all of those liquid ingredients have been incorporated. Continue to add water ¼ teaspoon at a time and mixing until completely incorporated until the mixture forms a dough. (I often use a total of 1 tablespoon of water.)
3. Transfer the dough to the center of a large sheet of plastic wrap, and shape into a 4”-wide circle. Cover the top with another large sheet of plastic wrap. Fold the excess around the dough’s sides to tightly seal. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
4. While the dough chills, coat a standard 9”-round pie plate with nonstick cooking spray
5. Leaving the dough between the sheets of plastic wrap, roll it out into a 11”-wide circle. Peel off the top layer of plastic wrap, and turn it out into the prepared pie plate. Peel off the other layer of plastic wrap. Gently press the dough into the pie plate, and trim the overhang.
6. OPTIONAL: To parbake, preheat the oven to 375°F (or your recipe’s required parbaking temperature). Line the center of the pie with foil (see Notes!), ensuring that the foil is fully touching the dough all the way across the bottom and around the steep sides of the pie plate, and pour pie weights (see Notes!) into the center. Bake the crust at 375°F (or your recipe’s given temperature) for 15-25 minutes (or for the amount of time provided by your recipe). Carefully remove the foil and pie weights before proceeding with adding the filling and finishing baking the pie.