Wheat Recipes: Pie Crust, Tortillas, and Pasta

Anyone else out there have hundreds of pounds of wheat stored? My mother-in-law and I have been scouring the globe for good recipes using wheat, and here are three that I found and then re-worked. They work well now, and they taste great. I would recommend using the pie crust with pies that have strong flavors and chunky textures, for instance, apple pie or chicken pot pie. Also, it's probably best to use white wheat, because the white wheat doesn't change the color or taste as much as red wheat does.

Whole Wheat Pie Crust for Savory Pies
Makes 2 single-crust pies or 1 double-crust pie

2 cups minus 2 Tbsp. whole wheat flour (can also use half all-purpose, half wheat)
2 Tbsp. corn starch
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup shortening, butter flavored
Ice water to make the dough soft

1. Combine dry ingredients.
2. Incorporate shortening using a pastry cutter, pair of knives, or your hands, until shortening clumps are penny-sized.
3. Add ice water by the tablespoon until you have a soft dough that holds together.
4. Divide dough in two equal portions, shape into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
5. Roll dough out on a floured pastry mat.
6. Carefully transfer rolled dough to pie plate.
7. For single-crust pies, trim and flute edges.
8. For double-crust pies, trim edges to size of pie plate. Roll out top crust, fill pie, and cover with top crust. Trim edges to 1/4" beyond plate, fold under bottom crust, and flute to seal.


Whole-wheat Tortillas
Makes 12-15 tortillas

1-1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. olive oil
1 c. warm water

1. Combine flours and salt.
2. Pour in oil and blend with your fingers or a fork until well-incorporated.
3. Add water; knead until dough is soft and stretchy.
4. Divide into 12-15 balls, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for at least 30 minutes.
5. Roll out tortillas on a floured pastry mat or coutner top.
6. Bake on a hot, ungreased griddle until air pockets start to expand. Carefully flip the tortilla, and bake the other side.

Best when warm; will stay fresh in the refrigerator for a week or more.


Wheat Pasta
Serves about 6

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
5 eggs
2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Sift dry ingredients together.
2. Make a well in the center and pour in the olive oil and eggs.
3. Mix together with a fork or your fingers.
4. Knead until stiff and elastic (hard dough!)
5. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 min.
6. Roll out the dough to 1/16" (really thin) on a pastry mat and cut noodles to your desired width and length. You can also use a pasta machine.
7. Hang or lay flat to dry for at least 15 minutes before boiling.
8. Boil like normal pasta. Homemade pastas cook quickly.



Enjoy!

Perfect Homemade Pie Crust

Happy Birthday Mom!

Something about the orange and red leaves crunching everywhere made me crave pumpkin pie last weekend. I love fall! Now that we're nearing the biggest baking season of the year, it's time for me to start sharing some of my favorite baking tips and recipes. The one item I get the most compliments on is my homemade pie crust. It's always flaky, always tender, always delicious, and it's not even all that hard. The recipe looks long and complicated, but that's just because I'm verbose (my degree IS in English literature, after all). It's really quite simple; here's how it's done:

Lindsay's Perfect Homemade Pie Crust:
(makes 2 single-crust pies or 1 double-crust pie)

2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. butter-flavor shortening
Ice water

In a mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Line a 1-cup measuring cup with saran wrap and fill with shortening (this makes clean-up so much easier!); add to flour mixture. Dust hands with flour (be sure to remove rings first!) and gently break up the shortening, leaving marble-sized chunks. You can also do this with criss-crossing knives or a pastry cutter, but be sure to leave big chunks, because they're what make the dough flaky. Sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp. of ice water at a time, tossing dough with fork to mix. When dough begins to clump, add more water to the next section. You should need about 6-8 Tbsp. of water. When dough is soft and clumpy, form it into a ball and break into two halves. Flatten each half into a disc about 1/2 - 1 inch thick, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 10 minutes. This makes it sooo much easier to roll!

When dough has chilled, roll it out on a floured surface. This is always where I messed up before, but there are tips to avoid messed-up pie crusts. My secret is a canvas rolling mat and a cotton rolling-pin sock. I found them at a grocery store in Provo, and they have worked wonderfully. You just rub flour into the canvas and on the sock, and then roll it out. If you do it on a counter top, be sure to flip the dough every so often and re-flour the surface so that you don't wind up with dough that can't be pried off of the counter. When the dough is the right size and thickness, fold it in half or quarters and gently place it into the pie plate before you unfold it.

For pumpkin pie, or other liquid fillings, trim the crust about half an inch from the plate. Fold the crust so that it sticks up off the rim of the plate, and flute. Cover edges of crust with aluminum foil or tin pie crust shields (I have two; they're great) so that the crust doesn't burn. If the crust has to be pre-baked, poke holes in it and if you have clean marbles, place 3 or 4 in the bottom of the crust to keep it from rising. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 8-10 minutes.

For double crust pies, trim the bottom crust even with the pie plate, but make sure that the top crust is about half an inch wider. Fold the top crust around the bottom crust, then crimp. Be sure to cut slits in the top before it is placed in the oven. Spray or brush with milk, then sprinkle with coarse sugar. Cover edges of crust with aluminum foil or tin pie crust shields so that the crust doesn't burn.

Happy baking!