The recipes are aim to be as low carb as possible too so they are all grain and gluten free – (except for one rogue cake that slipped in!).
Aug 20, 2024
Before I changed to a low carb diet, I used to love my home-made pastry. The fuller flavour and melt in the mouth texture was worth the extra effort. Eating without grains anymore, I was resigned at first to do without and then to a less appealing alternative as I experimented with various recipes. Perseverance though has paid off. I’ve honed ingredients and proportions down to this recipe which I love just as much. And so I thought I’d share the love …..and the good news - that delicious quiches and tarts – sweet as well as savoury – remain a delicious low carb/grain free option.
The only (slight) drawback with non-wheat pastry is that it's less pliable. You’ll need to roll it out between baking paper. And even with a shallow baking dish, it still requires a wee patch up job to cover the dish evenly. Maybe I’m clumsy but this pastry never seems to land elegantly in position like the pastry of yore used to. But don't be deterred. It's still fab.
The recipes below give basic proportions for an almond flour pastry (in the pic above) and a seed flour pastry (pic below).
For sweet pastry just add the granulated sweetener of your choice.
I’ve also added one or two suggestions for added ingredients.
The proportions are for a medium sized flan dish.
Option 1 – with almond flour
200g almond flour*
25g melted butter
1 beaten egg
*Use almond flour rather than ground almonds as they are a coarser texture.
Some savoury pastry additional options:
½ tsp paprika
Freshly ground black pepper
A little grated parmesan
Sweet pastry
Add approx 2 tsp natural granulated sweetener. (Natural sweetener options could include xylitol, erythritol, allulose. See Alternative Sweeteners page for more info. Each will have slightly different levels of sweetness. Adjust to taste).
1 tsp ginger (optional)
Option 2 – without nuts
200g mixed ground seeds ( I use a combination of 80g pumpkin, 80g sunflower and 40g sesame. But you can use different seeds and proportions)
15g melted butter
1 beaten egg
The freshly ground seed mix is more oily than almond flour. Hence the smaller quantity of melted butter. If you find your mix is still too oily – add a tablespoon or 2 of coconut flour to bring the pastry to a better consistency.
Method
Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4/ 180C.
Melt the butter. Take a little of the melted butter to grease the pie/quiche dish with a pastry brush.
Mix the butter and the beaten egg together before adding it in sploshes to the almond flour. Mix well after each splosh.
Finally gather the pastry in your hand and form a ball. It needs to be more or less the consistency of normal pastry. But the almond and seed flour will make the raw pastry a tad coarser.
If it’s a bit too wet, add a little more flour. If it’s a tad too dry and likely to disintegrate when you roll it – add a little olive oil or melted butter.
Pop the pastry ball on a large sheet of baking paper and flatten the pastry a little. Cover with another large sheet of baking paper and it roll out with a rolling pin until it’s the right size to cover the dish.
Pop the dish onto the pastry and flip over into the dish. (Most of it with any luck will land in one piece. Patch up the rest).
Blind cook for approx. 15 mins until the pastry starts to colour.
