Description
Dad’s classic Thanksgiving pie made even more friendly without gluten, dairy, or refined sugar.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups (185g) gluten-free flour blend (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
- 1 tablespoon (8g) coconut sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon (5g) ground chia seeds
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
- 1 tablespoon coconut yogurt
- 1/3 cup cold water
For the Filling:
- 2 heaping cups (about 385g) peeled, diced, and boiled sweet potato
- 1/2 cup (62g) coconut sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons oat milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- To make the pie crust, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt and chia seeds. Add cold, cubed vegan butter and, using your fingers (or a potato masher), work the butter into the flour mixture. Quickly break the butter down into the flour mixture, some butter pieces will be the size of oat flakes, some will be the size of peas. Create a well in the mixture and spoon in coconut yogurt. Pour in most of the water, leaving behind a tablespoon or two to add later, if necessary. Use a fork to bring to dough together. Try to moisten all of the flour bits. Add the remaining water if necessary, but you want to mixture to be shaggy and not outwardly wet.
- On a lightly floured work surface, dump out the dough mixture. It will be moist and shaggy. That’s perfect. Gently knead into a rectangle.
- We’ll laminate the dough before we chill it. Gently roll the dough into a rectangle about 10 to 12-inches long, 4-inches wide and 1-inch thick. (This doesn’t have to be exact.) Position the dough so that the short side is facing you and the long end extends away from you. Fold the bottom of the dough 1/3 of the way up. Fold the top of the dough 1/3 of the way down creating a letter fold.
- Rotate the dough letter a quarter turn so the folded rough edges are facing you and extending away from you. Roll and fold once more for a total of two laminations.
- Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Allowing the dough to rest in the refrigerator will help rechill the butter and distribute the moisture but you don’t want it to be completely chilled through. If you keep your dough in the refrigerator for longer than 30 minutes or overnight, let it rest on the counter for 10 minutes before rolling.
- To roll out the dough, place the dough between two pieces of floured parchment paper (or parchment paper and a Silpat, or two pieces of plastic wrap). Roll the dough out evenly, turning the dough over frequently and lifting and smoothing the paper or plastic so it doesn’t create any creases. You can dust a bit more flour too if you’d like. The circle should be 12-14 inches in diameter and about 1/4-inch thick. Slide the dough (still between the paper or plastic) onto a baking sheet or cutting board and refrigerate for about 1 hours. The dough cal also be refrigerated overnight or well-wrapped and frozen.
- When the dough is thoroughly chilled, place the dough on the counter and let it rest for about 10 minutes or until it’s pliable enough to bend without breaking. Remove one piece of paper or plastic from the dough. Invert it onto the pie plate and remove the second piece of paper or plastic. Gently press the dough into the edges of the pan. It’s ok if the dough tears a bit, just press and tears back together. Allow the excess dough to rest over the sides. Trim so the crust overhangs just 1-inch and fold the excess crust under and crimp with your fingers or a fork. Press the tines of a fork into the bottom and sides of the pie crust to dock it before par-baking. Refrigerate while the oven preheats.
- Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line the chilled pie with parchment paper and top to the brim with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the beans and return the pie shell to the oven. Bake for another 5 to 7 until the pie crust appears dry and is just barely golden.
- To make the filling, first peel the sweet potatoes. Dice the sweet potatoes into large, 3-inch chunks. Place potato pieces in a large pot and cover with cool water. Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender throughout, about 20 minutes. Test the doneness of the potatoes using a thin knife. If the knife meets any resistance, simmer the potatoes a bit longer.
- Drain into a colander.
- In the same large pot place cooked potato pieces, the coconut sugar, all of the spices, salt, coconut oil, and half of the oat milk. Cook on low flame, using a potato masher to mash the potatoes and they cook. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes until fragrant. Once mixture fragrant, remove from the stovetop and transfer to a medium bowl.
- Whisk in the remaining oat milk, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined. Make sure that the mixture is as smooth as possible. I used an immersion blender to completely smooth the mixture.
- Pour the prepared filling into the pie crust. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees F. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F and cook until cooked through, about 45 to 50 minutes.
- To test the pie for doneness lightly shake the baking sheet. If the center of the pie has a wavy jiggle it needs more time in the oven. If the center of the pie has a lighter, more structured jiggle, it’s done!
- Allow to cool to room temperature before serving, or serve chilled from the refrigerator. I like this topped with dollop of coconut whipped cream and black coffee. Pie will last well-wrapped in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
I tested this recipe with flax eggs and it’s wasn’t as silky smooth and had trouble setting in the oven. You’re welcome to try it, I just prefer this recipe with eggs.