Here's a pie crust that is made with coconut flour, egg whites, coconut oil, and sweetener. After sharing graham crackers I realized I have the foundation of a great graham cracker pie crust.
I tested this pie crust a few different ways so I've got a bunch of tips for getting the most out of this recipe. My main goal is to prevent the crust edges from burning and the bottom from getting soggy. It's challenging with grain-free flours however coconut flour is a bit better because it can absorb more moisture than nut and seed flours.
I like to use egg whites to create a moisture barrier between the filling and the crust. Then I brush the edge of the crust with coconut milk or yogurt before filling and baking the pie. You can see why in this next photo of my test results, where I compare egg wash, yogurt, and coconut milk on a baked crust. The yogurt performed the best at keeping the crust lighter in color, coconut cream came in second, and egg wash third.
Here are some types of egg wash and their effect on any pie crust or pastry:
- Egg: a whisked egg that makes pastry darker with some shine.
- Egg yolk: a whisked egg that makes pastry dark and shiny.
- Egg white: a whisked egg that makes pastry paler and shiny.
- Egg and water: an egg whisked with water that makes pastry somewhat paler and shiny.
- Egg and milk or cream: an egg whisked with milk or cream that makes pastry paler with a bit of shine.
- Milk, yogurt, or cream: adds a bit of a shine and keeps it pale.
I know some bakers use parchment paper or a pie edge crust protector of some kind but I've found they don't work all that well. What if you burned the edge of your pie crust? Welp, it happens. You can leave it or cut it off, or maybe bake a new crust edge in its place. I do recommend using parchment paper on the bottom of the pie pan before pressing the pie crust into it. It makes it easier to the pie to slice and remove pie pieces out of the pan.
And one last tip: Rotate the pie halfway through the baking time to get more even browning. Happy pie baking!
Graham Cracker Pie Crust {grain-free}
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut flour
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large egg whites 4 tablespoons
- ¼ cup coconut oil softened or melted a bit
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325℉.
- Generously grease a pie dish with coconut oil or other oil. Another option is to place a circular pieces of parchment paper on the bottom of the pie dish before pressing the crust into the dish.
- Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl and blend well with a fork or whisk.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and blend well with a fork. Let the batter sit for a moment to allow the coconut flour to aborb all the liquid.
- Optional: I recommend putting a cut circle of parchment paper on the bottom of the pie pan before pressing in the crust to make it easier to slice and remove the baked pie pieces.
- Press the dough into a pie dish.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Brush the crust with egg wash and bake for another 5 minutes to set.
- Cool the crust for at least 20 minutes.
- Store sealed in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.
- When ready to bake, before adding the filling, brush the edge of the crust with coconut cream or yogurt, or other cream or milk.
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