^{Above: Roasted Apples & Onions with Cheddar Cheese}

^{Below: Roasted Winter Squash with Blue Cheese & Almonds}

^{These gorgeous galettes were made by students who had a banquet of precooked fruits and vegetables to use. Each was unique and delicious!}

Homemade pie dough is delicious and good for you if using whole grains and real butter. Even organic pre-made pie dough has added sugar and cheap oils rather than butter. One organic pre-made pie dough found at Whole Foods has: "Organic, Wheat Flour, Organic Palm Oil, Water, Organic Cane Syrup, Sea Salt, Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Guar Gum, Organic Rice Flour."

Pie dough just needs good flour, butter, water, and a pinch of salt.

When making pie dough, I love mixing a blend of flours depending on what my filling will be. Different flours add subtle nutty flavors and textures. Unbleached white flour (I use King Arthur flour) is perfect for delicate fruits. Whole wheat, white whole wheat, rye, and spelt are tasty with fall fruits, vegetables, rich cheeses and more. Substitute these flours for white flour or blend a mixture flours togehter.

• Substitute *white whole wheat or whole wheat flour for white flour.

• Pie dough is one of those "if you're making one, double the recipe, make two, and freeze the second. Simply weigh or eyeball the dough and divide in two. Wrap in wax paper and freeze on a plate so that the dough keeps its shape. Once frozen wrap in foil. To use, thaw in the fridge so that it doesn't "sweat."

• Whole grain flours are earthier and especially nice with winter veggies like winter squash.

* "Whole-wheat flour is made from hard red spring or winter wheat, which has a nutty, hearty taste. White whole-wheat flour is made from hard white spring or winter wheat, which has the exact same nutritional value of whole-wheat flour, but because of the variety used, has a milder flavor and paler color."
*King Arthur Flour

There are also heritage wheats which are non-gmo and have never been hybridised. I often use One Degree Organic Foods flour found in some grocery stores like Nob Hill Foods.

• Gluten free flours do not have the gluten to hold the dough together so the dough tends to crumble and are harder to work with. Check out gluten free recipes online.

• For a two crust pie double the recipe and make two discs. The dough also freezes well. Double the recipe and freeze a disk first in wax or parchment paper and then foil.

My Classic Pie Dough

1. 1 1/2 cup (188 grams) AP flour* (I like King Arthur)

2. 1 Tbls sugar (optional)

3. 1/2 tsp fine salt

4. 1 tsp to 1 Tbls sugar for a sweet pie (optional)

5. 8 Tbls (4 oz) cold unsalted butter or 4 Tbls butter and 4 Tbls. cold leaf lard

6. 1/4 cup (29 grams) cold water minus 1 tsp.

7. 1 tsp. vinegar

Method:

1. In a bowl, whisk flour and salt together.

2. Cut chilled butter into flour with pastry cutter or with your finger tips to resemble small peas and cornmeal. Don’t use the palms of your hands which are warm and can soften the butter too much.

3. Add two-thirds of the water/vinegar to the dough and stir with a fork. Add water slowly just until most of dough barely forms into a ball.

4. Flour your hand and gather up remaining bits, kneading once or twice, just until formed into a loose ball.

5. Shape into a flat disk and chill for 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

Lots of notes & tips:

• Water + flour + rolling to much = gluten which will make your dough tough and shrink. Mix, knead and roll as little as possible.

• Always use unsalted butter. It adds a fresh flavor to your dough.

• Low-protein flour such as cake or pastry flour helps to cut the gluten. Use 1/2 cup pastry flour with 1 cup AP flour for an exceptionally light crust.

• Use 50/50 unsalted butter and grass-fed leaf lard or 100% lard. Lard has a higher melting point than butter and has a higher fat content so it helps to create a very flaky crust and keeps the dough from shrinking.

• Freeze if not using within 24 hours. Wrap in plastic or wax paper and then foil. Thaw in the fridge before using. Make two crusts and freeze the extra disc. 

• For a 9 to 10-inch pie shell to serve 5-6 people, use 1 1/2 cups flour

• For a 10 to 11-inch pie serving 8 people, adjust recipe using 2 cups of flour and 10 or 11 tablespoons butter

Shaping a Pie Shell

• Dust your rolling surface lightly with flour or place your disc in-between two sheets of parchment paper. 

• Roll in one direction turning the dough clockwise with each roll. In other words, don’t roll back and forth. This will activate the gluten and create a tough dough that shrinks in the oven.

• Roll the dough out to about 2-inches wider than the pie plate. 

• Gently roll the dough onto the rolling pin and unroll over your pie plate.

• Help the dough to settle into the pan, nudging it into the bottom and sides. Once it’s “settled in” crimp the edges.

• Chill for 20-30 minutes before baking.

To bake a Blind Crust - a crust without a filling:

1. Set oven to 375˚

2. Prick the bottom crust with a fork. Crumple a sheet of parchment paper (preferred) or foil and line the chilled dough.

3. Fill the dough with dry beans spreading the beans to the edges and up the sides of the dough about 3/4 of the way up the crust. Bake for 15 minutes.

4. Remove the dough from the oven and gently lift the paper-beans out of the crust and set aside to cool. Poke the dough several times with a fork and return to the oven to complete baking, about 8 to 10 minutes or until golden.

5. Cool completely before filling.

Spring Vegetable & Ricotta Galette Filling:

• 1 1/2 cup good ricotta cheese*

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (to taste)

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh minced herbs like basil, parsley, mint, or a mixture - you could also use 1 tsp dried herbs instead

• 1 large egg, beaten 

• Salt to taste as needed depending on the saltiness of the Parmesan 

Make the filling:

1. Blend all of the filling ingredients except the egg together. 

2. In a separate small bowl, crack the egg, add a pinch of salt, and whisk until runny with a fork. Add all but about 1 tablespoon of the egg (reserve what remains) to the filling and blend. 

Shape the Galette:

1. Remove your pie dough from the fridge to warm slightly.

2. Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Line a large baking sheet, preferably without edges, with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

3. Sprinkle your rolling surface and pin lightly with flour and roll the pie crust into a circle, rectangle, square, or whatever you'd like. The crust should be thin but not so thin that it's too fragile to move or hold the filling. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Top with the cheese mixture and spread it to about 1-inch from the edges.

4. Add the vegetables decoratively atop the cheese mixture.

5. Fold the edges up around the filling.

6. If desired, using a pastry brush, brush the crust edge with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle the crust with Parmesan cheese or flakey sea salt.

7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.