After seven years of cooking Paleo and AIP, I have finally perfected this pie crust recipe. I don’t know how many dozens of iterations I went through (three? four?), but now this version has now become a staple in my home. My kids adore chicken pot pie (I’m in the habit of adding whatever vegetables I happen to have on hand, making it a fabulous one-pot meal!), but I also use this perfect pie crust recipe for every pie I make. I recommend using this pie crust when making my apple pie (Paleo and AIP variations), pumpkin pie, AIP pumpkin pie, pecan pie, pot pie (AIP with this pie crust recipe), and even steak and kidney pot pie (also AIP with this pie crust recipe). You could use the filling from this recipe for strawberry rhubarb pie or the filling from this recipe for a traditional French Canadian meat pie.
Note: I have only ever used Otto’s Cassava Flour for this recipe and can’t vouch that alternative brands will work as beautifully. You can get Otto’s direct from Otto’s or from Amazon, OneStopPaleoShop, ShopAIP, Thrive Market and even Whole Foods stores!
This recipe makes enough dough for a double crust pie for an 8″ pie plate.
Perfect Pie Crust (AIP)
Prep
Total
Yield 1 double crust
Ingredients
-
2 cups Otto’s cassava flour
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup cold lard or unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 5 to 6 tablespoons ice cold water
2 cups Instructions
- Mix the cassava flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the lard, then use a whisk or two knives to cut the lard into the cassava flour until the mixture resembles dry oatmeal; the largest pieces of lard should be no bigger than peas. (You can also use a food processor to do this job quickly, pulsing until the mixture resembles rolled oats.)
- Add the apple cider vinegar and then the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time and work it into the dough. Stop as soon as the dough easily holds together. (In some climates, you may need an extra 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.)
- Roll out immediately or wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge until needed (will keep for at least a week).
- Use as you would for any recipe that calls for pie crust!
TPV Podcast, Episode 308: All About Amino Acids
What is the purpose of the apple cider vinegar in this recipe? Thx!
So I believe the purpose of adding vinegar to a traditional pie crust is that it keeps the crust tender by preventing the formation of gluten. Obviously, in a gluten free pie crust that’s not an issue. So in this recipe is more to imitate that traditional pie crust flavor. -Kiersten