Learn how to make an all-butter whole wheat pie crust – they’re tastier and healthier than store-bought, super easy to make, and perfect for your favorite sweet or savory pies.
Crafting a homemade pie crust not only elevates your favorite pies but also brings great satisfaction. While adding a refrigerated, packaged crust to your cart may seem like the easiest option, homemade pie crusts are delicious, simple, and don’t take much time. And since any season is pie season, with cozy dishes like chicken pot pie for the cold months and fresh, sweet pies like classic apple pie during summer and those golden fall days, it’s good to have a trusted pie crust recipe in your back pocket.
This whole wheat pie crust combines my favorite all-butter pie crust with freshly milled soft white wheat flour. The result is the perfect pie crust for fruit pies, cream pies, and all the buttery, crusty treats in between – such as homemade pop tarts.
Freshly milled wheat adds wholesome texture and a naturally sweet, nutty flavor. The wheat berries provide nutrition, texture, and a stronger flavor, while keeping a tender crust. It’s an easy recipe with simple ingredients that embraces whole grains. You don’t need to completely start over to incorporate whole grains in your baking. By learning how to convert any recipe to freshly milled, you can simply modify your favorite recipes – from fresh milled sourdough starter, blueberry muffins, and whole wheat cake to fresh milled pizza dough and dinner rolls.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Wholesome flavor – Whole grains add a depth of flavor that all-purpose flour can’t match.
Tender texture – While freshly milled grains contribute a coarser texture, gentle handling, lots of butter, and resting the dough maintains that tender, buttery texture you expect from a good pie crust.
Sweet or savory – This versatile recipe suits pies of all kinds, such as scratch-made apple pie, pumpkin pie, hand pies, or a savory chicken or ground beef pot pie.
Ingredients
Whole wheat flour – I use freshly milled soft white wheat for this recipe.
Butter – I use unsalted butter for my pie crusts. Keep it in the refrigerator until ready to use, or freeze for 15 minutes before using.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Tools You May Need
Grain mill – If milling your own flour, you’ll need a quality grain mill.
Food processor (optional) – While optional, it’s super helpful.
How to Make Whole Wheat Pie Crust
Step 1: Begin by milling 2½ cups of flour (or 350 grams on a digital scale). Add the flour and salt to a large mixing bowl and stir. You could also use a food processor.
Step 2: Cube the cold butter and add it to the flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender or fork until the texture resembles coarse sand.
Step 3: Slowly add the cold water, stirring the dough until it forms a single ball. Divide in half using a bench scraper or knife, then press them into round discs. Wrap well with plastic and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
Step 4: To prepare your crust, roll the dough with a rolling pin to fit your pie plate – about 12 inches in diameter. Use the rolling pin to transfer the bottom crust to your pie plate, gently pressing it down into the bottom and sides of the dish. Trim the excess dough.
Step 5: Add your prepared pie filling, then lay the top crust over the filling. Press the edges together to secure, then crimp them with your fingers or a fork.
Step 6: Bake in a preheated oven according to the directions specific to that pie recipe and filling. The crust should be golden brown.
Tips
- This recipe yields enough dough for two pie crusts.
- Make sure to use ice-cold water and very cold butter. You can pop the butter in the freezer for 15 minutes before adding it to the dry ingredients.
- Don’t skip the refrigeration time. Those 2-3 hours let the dough rest, which better softens and hydrates the grains.
- Keep the dough cold until ready to roll out. Using your hands to work the dough can warm it up significantly, so work quickly and minimally.
- For blind baking, try using parchment paper and pie weights or dry beans to hold your crust in place as it bakes.
- If you are using freshly milled grains for this recipe, I recommend weighing the flour instead of using volume measurements. Grain mills vary greatly – some create very fine and fluffy flour, while others are a little more coarse. This makes volume measurements unpredictable. Using a kitchen scale and calculating the grams is much more reliable, ensuring you end up with a delicious end product.
Recipe FAQs
You can! Prepare as directed, then refrigerate the wrapped discs of dough for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the dough for several months by wrapping it well and thawing it at room temperature when ready to use.
Because whole wheat flour contains all parts of the wheat berry, it offers more fiber, vitamins, and minerals than all-purpose flour.
I mill soft white wheat for this recipe, but you can use soft red wheat or einkorn, as well. Hard white wheat or hard red wheat can increase the density of your crust.
Whole wheat produces a noticeably denser crust than an all-purpose flour crust, and the flavor is more robust. The differences grow on you, even if they’re not what you were expecting at first.
More Freshly Milled Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Whole Wheat Strawberry Shortcake
- Fresh Milled Brownies
- Waffles with Fresh Milled Flour
- Whole Wheat Biscuits
- Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Whole Wheat Pie Crust with Butter
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor optional, but very helpful
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour, 350 grams
- 1 teaspoon salt, 5 grams
- 1 cup butter, cold and cubed, 227 grams
- ½ cup ice water, 118 grams
Instructions
- Begin by milling 2½ cups of flour (or 350 grams on a digital scale). Add the flour and salt to a large bowl and stir.
- Cube the cold butter and add it to the flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter or fork until the texture resembles coarse sand.
- Slowly add the cold water, stirring the dough until it forms a single ball. Divide in half using a bench scraper or knife, then press them into round discs. Wrap well with plastic and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
- Roll the discs out with a rolling pin to fit your pie plate – about 12 inches in diameter. Use the rolling pin to transfer the bottom crust to your pie plate, gently pressing it down into the bottom and sides of the dish. Trim the excess pie dough.
- Add your prepared pie filling, then place the second crust on top. Press the edges together to secure, then crimp them with your fingers or a fork.
- Bake in a preheated oven according to the directions specific to that pie recipe and filling.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
