Gluten-Free Coconut Flour Crust

Coconut flour is an interesting addition to the gluten-free world. It's VERY fibrous, which means it can't be substituted for regular flour 1:1. In fact, it can't be substituted for regular flour...at all. It needs its own array of recipes. That does not mean, however, that it's not tasty. For those of you out there who don't like the flavor of coconut, fear not. Coconut flour does not taste like coconut flakes. This crust recipe, especially once mixed with pecans, has a nutty, buttery, toasty flavor. It's perfect for pies, the bottom of chilled desserts, cheesecakes, and probably any number of things your creative mind can come up with. Here it is pictured with a Pecan Pie I made recently:

It doesn't roll out like traditional pastry, but as you can see above once it's baked (or pre-baked) it holds its shape perfectly. I just can't say enough about this crust. Even if you don't have a gluten sensitivity, it's delicious, and for those who do, it's basically a culinary godsend.

Gluten-Free Coconut Flour Crust

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 cup pecans, processed into meal

2 T sugar

4 T melted butter

2 eggs

Yield: enough dough for the bottom of one 9" pie dish, or one 13x9" rectangular casserole dish

Put 1/2 cup pecans in food processor, let run until moist meal is formed. The oil in the pecans prevents them from developing a flour-like consistency, so it may appear that the pecans are not completely processed. You can see in my picture what you're after.

  

Cut together all ingredients in a large bowl. Your "dough" will probably not be the crazy highlighter yellow that mine is, unless you got the same macho-hen eggs that I had. 

Those yolks were obscene.   

Turn dough out into middle of desired dish.

Press dough out and up until it is evently distributed. No need to grease the pan first; there's plenty o' butter in that dough.

And that's it! Just like with traditional pie dough, if you're making a pie that must bake to set (such as pumpkin, apple, or my Pecan Pie) put the filling into the raw dough and then follow your pie recipe's baking instructions. If the pie is chilled (icebox pies, lemon meringue, etc) cook the pie crust for 13 minutes at 400 degrees F, let cool completely, and then add your filling.

All photos by Michelle Goldman/Brainchild Theories