Easy Vegan Almond Flour Crust

Ingredients

• 1.5 tbsp flax meal or chia seed meal, use golden flax or white chia seeds to avoid flecks in the crust
• 3 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tsp oil, optional
• 1/2 tsp vinegar
• 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, optional
• 1 3/4 cup almond flour, I use Bob's Red Mill
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1/3 tsp fine sea salt
• variations: add spices or zest

Steps

1. Before flipping the dough into the pie dish, line the dish with parchment so the baked pie is easy to remove. Stir the flax meal, water, maple syrup, and optional oil together in a small bowl and leave for 2 minutes. Mix in the vinegar and optional spices. Separately, combine the almond flour, coconut sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Work in the flax mixture to form a smooth dough, pressing and dragging to incorporate it; this can take up to 1 – 2 minutes. If needed, add a tsp or more water. For a sweeter crust, a Tbsp or more of powdered sugar may also be added. You can taste the crust before baking and adjust the sweetness and salt.
2. On a sheet of parchment, pat the dough into a flat, round disk, flattening it as evenly as possible by hand. Cover with another sheet of parchment and roll into a 10-inch circle, moving the rolling pin slightly from one end to the other. The dough will crack around the edges; this is fine.
3. Set the pie or tart dish on top of the rolled dough. Flip carefully and press on the parchment to move the dough into the dish, then peel the parchment away and shape the edges. As an alternative, pat the dough directly into a lightly greased pie or tart pan, shape the edges, and bake.
4. Use an oven preheated to 330degrees f / 165deg c and bake for 14-22 minutes. Allow 14 minutes when the crust will be baked again with its filling. For a crust that will not be baked again, bake for 20-22 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden. Let it cool before using.