I made an apple pie using whole spelt flour, and coconut oil as the sole fat in the crust. The coconut oil has a similar consistency to vegetable shortening and the dough was easy to work with. For the filling I used two-thirds Granny Smith apples and one-third Macintosh (I like an apple pie with some mushiness inside), some lemon juice, arrowroot flour, cinnamon, and erythritol instead of sugar (I'm diabetic).
I'm very happy with the results. The crust is flaky, albeit lacking the buttery flavour of a butter crust, and somewhat nutty due to the spelt flour. There is a slight coconut flavour to the crust, which I find appealing, especially with the spelt. The mouthfeel is great - no oily film on the roof of the mouth after eating, thank goodness.
So, I ended up with quite a healthy apple pie - whole grains, heart-healthy fat, apples (all organic ingredients, by the way), and not an ounce of sugar. Erythritol, by the way, is a naturally-sourced polyol that, unlike xylitol, has no laxative effect and is safe for dogs (xylitol is toxic to dogs).
One bit of advice for those of you planning to work with coconut oil: I used an unrefined extra virgin oil and made the mistake of refrigerating it prior to use (with pie crusts, the colder the better, right?). Well, when I took it out of the fridge it was rock hard and unusable until it thawed out. Just leave it at room temperature; it needs no refrigeration.
I'm very happy with the results. The crust is flaky, albeit lacking the buttery flavour of a butter crust, and somewhat nutty due to the spelt flour. There is a slight coconut flavour to the crust, which I find appealing, especially with the spelt. The mouthfeel is great - no oily film on the roof of the mouth after eating, thank goodness.
So, I ended up with quite a healthy apple pie - whole grains, heart-healthy fat, apples (all organic ingredients, by the way), and not an ounce of sugar. Erythritol, by the way, is a naturally-sourced polyol that, unlike xylitol, has no laxative effect and is safe for dogs (xylitol is toxic to dogs).
One bit of advice for those of you planning to work with coconut oil: I used an unrefined extra virgin oil and made the mistake of refrigerating it prior to use (with pie crusts, the colder the better, right?). Well, when I took it out of the fridge it was rock hard and unusable until it thawed out. Just leave it at room temperature; it needs no refrigeration.
