Sprouted Pie Crust

I'm using my oven a ton these days.  One, to keep my kitchen warm so I'm warm while the kids and I are doing school and my ferments stay happy and growing.  And two, because my friend gave me a kick-bootie stove!  Yeah..I'm g-rated!  I know friends don't usually give friends stoves, but this was a weird circumstance.  Anyway, said stove is much truer to temperature than my old stove and has a covered element on the bottom so I don't have to worry about drips turning into smoke disasters!  My husband is most happy about this, because almost on a weekly basis we have to evacuate due to the smoke I create...I wish I were kidding.

On today's menu is Quiche Lorraine.  I think that is the technical term.  It's spinach quiche with bacon and maybe goat cheese...maybe swiss...I can't decide.  Quiche is one of the most affordable meals you can put on the table.  They are so high in protein and since eggs (even really great farm fresh eggs) are cheaper than meat you can get a whole meal for less than $10 on the table.  That's for my ginormous family...regular family maybe less than $5.  I always add a little meat, but it only takes a little.  For instance, this quiche will only have 1 slice of bacon each.  That's 2 slices of bacon to feed 6 people with some leftovers for lunch tomorrow.  You can't beat that!!  Oh and on top of that, quiche can be eaten right out of the oven, room temp, or even reheated...this is my kind of flexible meal!  Tonight I will bake it and then leave it in the oven (with the oven off) while I go Zumba with my BFF.

Anyway there is my plug for quiche, but that's not really what this post is about.  While I was making my quiche I wanted to take some pictures to walk you through the process of making a pie crust.  Because those frozen pie crusts, which I must admit are super convenient come with a price.  They are all made with rancid hydrogenated oils or if you buy the organic ones you will get sifted flour and you will pay a fortune for them.

So my answer is to make the pie crust at home.  You could make these ahead and freeze them, but I find it easy to just make them in steps and do the steps when I can.  You can easily mix the crust one day, put it in the fridge and not bake it until the next.  Or you could blind bake a few crusts on the weekend and then use them throughout the week.

*if you are wondering why Sprouted Flour??

1.  Sprouted Flour is easier to digest.

2.  The sprouting process increases the nutrient content of the wheat, especially Vitamins C, B, and Carotene.  

3.  The sprouting process creates enzymes which are great for digestion.

4.  The sprouting neutralizes enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid.  Phytic acid blocks the absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and zinc. P.S.  There is a reason why so many people are deficient of these minerals.

This is a really great source for sprouted grains.  And they offer free shipping a lot!

Sprouted Pie Crust

(yields 2 8-10 inch pie crusts or 1 double crust)

8oz. of Grass-fed butter (like Kerrygold)

2 1/2 cups of sprouted Whole wheat flour*

A pinch of salt (if butter is salted) or 1 tsp. of salt if butter is unsalted

1 tsp. of sucanat or organic sugar

6-8 TBS. of ice water

Dice your butter and put it in the freezer for an hour or more.

In a food processor combine flour, salt, and sucanat.  Pulse a couple of times.  Add frozen butter cubes and run until butter is broken down into chunks pea-sized or smaller.

Add in ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, until a ball is formed.  Don't let it get too wet.

Remove and put into plastic wrap.  I like to wrap my hand in plastic wrap when I remove it so it doesn't get all over my hand.

Roll into a log (instead of a ball, it easier to split into two pieces later) and refrigerate at least one hour, but even a day or two would work.

Press into pie plates.  I do this by hand.  You can also roll it out between two sheets of plastic wrap like I do with my Chicken Pot Pie.  I just find it easier with a pie to just press it into the pan.

Sometimes, I blind bake my crust when I make quiche, just because the eggs are so wet.  Sometimes I don't.  But if your recipe doesn't call for it, just poke a few holes in it and use it.   Other wise, add a piece of parchment paper to your and fill with beans or pie weights.  I figured for this post it would be best if I blind baked it, just in case you wanted to do yours that way.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.  Then remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes.  Remove the parchment paper and beans and poke a few holes in the bottom of the crust and return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes.  

So I know, this wasn't as simple as my Freezer Meals, but seriously YOU are capable of this!  If I can do anything with this post, I hope I would encourage you to give this a try.  I swear (on my raw milk) that it truly is simpler than it sounds!

Love and Butter,

Mishelle

Linked up on:  Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday, Mama Moments Monday, Monday's Homestead Barn Hop, Mix It Up Monday, Better Moms Monday,  Inspire Me Monday, Modesty Monday