Whole Grain Einkorn Pastry Dough

Pastry dough is a great opportunity to use Whole Grain flours because we don't need the flour for gluten development and strength, like in bread, just the flavour. Our stone mill grinds the entire grain kernel (germ, bran and endosperm) at once, maintaining all the nutrition and flavour of the whole grain.

Einkorn Pastry Dough 
1 2⁄3 (230g) cup Flourist Whole Grain Einkorn Flour
1 cup (138g) Flourist Sifted Red Spring Wheat Flour
1 cup (227g) butter, cold and cut into cubes
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup ice cold water, or as needed

Yield: dough for 2 single crust pies, 1 double crust pie or 4 medium galettes 

Tip: One of the keys to flaky pastry is keeping all the ingredients, including your tools, as cold as possible. Leave them to chill in the refrigerator before you start your work.  

Combine flour and salt in a large metal mixing bowl and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Mix apple cider vinegar and water and keep chilled.

Add cubed butter to the flour and toss lightly with your hands to coat. Using your fingers, press butter into flat sheets, tossing with flour as you work to make sure each piece of butter is well coated. You want to aim for butter pieces that range from the size of a dime to a quarter.

A tablespoon at a time, drizzle the vinegar-water mixture along the side of the bowl, allowing it to trickle towards the flour mixture. Use your hand or a fork to flick the flour mixture towards the centre of the bowl, rotating the bowl as you go. Repeat with 6 tbsp of liquid. The flour mixture should start forming larger clusters.

After adding 7 tbsp of liquid, take a handful of the flour mixture in your hands and squeeze gently. If it easily holds together without falling apart, enough liquid has been added. If it easily breaks apart, continue adding 1 tbsp of liquid at a time, checking the consistency after each addition until the just dough holds together. Add liquid sparingly.

Divide in half and form into two circular discs, wrap individually with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour preferably, overnight. 

This dough can be made for storage in the fridge for 4-5 days. Freeze it if you plan to keep it for longer than that. Defrost on the counter prior to use, and then use as directed based on your recipe.