I try to avoid vegan butters because I haven't found one yet that I consider very healthy. I use cashew butter for this crust to give it the fat it needs to be tasty and crisp. This crust goes well with just about any filling. You can make this crust ahead of time and store it in the freezer. When ready to use the crust, it can go straight into the oven. You can also store the dough or crust, unbaked and unfilled, in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Makes one 8-10 inch crust
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup spelt flour
1 tsp ground chia seeds
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla powder
1/2 cup cashew butter
2 tbsp maple syrup (or leave out sweetener if you are making a savory pie)
2-4 tbsp plant milk (or canned lite coconut milk)
Optional seasonings for the crust: touch of lemon rind, hint of nutmeg and/or cinnamon.
Instructions:
Mix all the dry ingredients together (flour, chia, salt, soda, vanilla powder and any other optional seasonings) then add the cashew butter and maple syrup.
Stir briefly, then use your fingers to mix the cashew butter mixture into the dry ingredients until it is well incorporated, like pea crumbles. (This will take a couple of minutes.)
Add 2 tbsp plant milk and stir to form a ball. If it looks like the mixture is too dry to form into a ball, add more plant milk one tablespoon at a time.
Once you have made a ball, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.
Roll the pie crust out between two pieces of wax paper.
Place the dough in an 8, 9, or 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom or pie tin. You may need to gently press the dough into place if it breaks apart. Make sure the dough around the rim is thick enough so that it won't easily break when you remove the crust from the tart pan (fold the dough at the edges and tuck it into itself around the rim).
Optional but highly recommended: Put the crust in the freezer for at least 20 minutes before filling and baking.
Bake according to pie recipe or pre-bake for 10-15 minutes at 375 degrees.
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