KETO PASTRY - THE CHALLENGE
Here goes! The challenge with keto pastry is that we are not using wheat flour, which contains the gluten that effectively elasticises the pastry to enable to roll, stretch and stick together - as well as baking to a crisp finish.
I've tried so many recipes, but the ones below are my attempt at finding my favourite in each category, quite often by mixing two recipes together, or simply just working out what works best with my particular ingredients. Pastry with psyllium husk as an ingredient tends to be more rustic and similar in taste to wholewheat pastry.
I have also experienced an additional challenge with sweet pastry, as I am not using the granular varieties, but am using the liquid sweetener from Skinny Mixes for all my recipes. This continues to be a work in process and I'll continue to update these recipes as I manage to improve them, so always check the recipe you have for any updates. I've added the rough carb count for each batch of pastry, so you just have to divide it by the number of servings you require to get the per-serving count.
As with all pastry, the key thing is to keep everything very cold, rest the pastry once made, and handle the pastry as little as possible. PATIENCE is a virtue when making keto pastry. Good Luck!
Short Crust Pastry (for meat pies, etc) 17.4g net Carbs per batch
- 100g Almond Flour
- 40g Coconut Flour
- 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 tsp Cider Vinegar
- 100g Cold Butter (1cm cubes)
- 1 medium Egg (whisked)
- Using a food processor, pulse the flours xanthan gum and baking powder to thoroughly mix
- Add the cubed butter and pulse again until the mixture resembles large breadcrumbs
- Add the cider vinegar and egg and pulse again until the dough starts to form. Do not overwork the dough.
- Pour the dough pieces onto a large square of cling film and press it together to form a ball of pastry. Wrap tightly with the clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours to chill (overnight is better) and it can be kept in the fridge for 2 days before use or be frozen until required.
- Roll out, when required, between two sheets of greaseproof paper
- When handling the pastry, dip your cutters in coconut flour and when the pastry becomes soft and sticky, put it back into the fridge to chill again
- Bake at 170*C
Sweet Short Crust Pastry (for Mince Pies, apples pies, etc) 15.9g net carbs per batch
- 100g Almond Flour
- 30g Coconut Flour
- 1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 90g Cold Butter (1cm cubes)
- 1 medium Egg (whisked)
- 1 tblsp Plain or Vanilla Sweetener Syrup or 1 tblsp Bocha Sweet
- 1 sm Orange (or other) zest if required (optional)
- Using a food processor, pulse the flours xanthan gum and baking powder to thoroughly mix, then add the orange zest if required and pulse through again
- Add the cubed butter and pulse again until the mixture resembles large breadcrumbs
- Add the cider vinegar, egg and sweetener syrup and pulse again until the dough starts to form. Do not overwork the dough.
- Pour the dough pieces onto a large square of cling film and press it together to form a ball of pastry. Wrap tightly with the clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours to chill (overnight is better) and it can be kept in the fridge for 2 days before use or be frozen until required.
- Roll out, when required, between two sheets of greaseproof paper, or simply press and mould the pastry into the case you will be using
- When handling the pastry, dip your cutters in coconut flour and when the pastry becomes soft and sticky, put it back into the fridge to chill again.
- Bake at 170*C
Suet Pastry (for meat pie toppings or steamed puddings, etc) 15.2g net carbs per batch
- 50g Almond Flour
- 20g Coconut Flour
- 30g Psyllium Husk
- 1 tblsp Sesame Seeds
- 1 tsp Salt
- 50g Suet
- 100ml Water (cold)
- This is a wonderful, rustic pastry (a little like a wholewheat pastry) and can be used to bake as crispy pie toppings, or it can be used to steam for steamed puddings
- Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and combine them well
- Add the suet and gently rub the suet into the dry ingredients using your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs
- Add cold water and stir until the dough begins to form. Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time as you do not want to add too much or make the dough sticky
- When the dough starts to pull together, pour the dough onto a large square of cling film and press it together to form a ball of pastry. Wrap tightly with the clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours to chill (overnight is better)
- Roll out, when required, between two sheets of greaseproof paper. If it breaks apart, just mould it back together again.
- Bake at 180*C for 20-25 minutes or steam the puddings for 30-40 minutes
Alternative Sweet Pastry (the base for sweet tarts - needs to be blind-baked) 17.5g net carbs per batch
- 150g Almond Flour
- 50g Unsweetened Desiccated Coconut
- 1 tblsp Sesame Seeds
- 75g Butter or Coconut Oil (Melted)
- 1 tblsp Plain or Vanilla Sweetener Syrup or Bocha Sweet
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl and combine them well
- Add the melted butter (or coconut oil) and the sweetener syrup and mix well until a pastry-like dough is formed
- This pastry will not roll out, so press the dough gently into your selected pie/tart dish along the bottom of the dish and sufficiently up the sides to contain your tart filling. I always use a spring-clip dish for ease of releasing the tart after baking.
- Prick the bottom of the tart and bake blind in the centre of the oven at 175*C for 12 minutes
- Then fill as required.
- This pastry is sweet, perfect for egg custard tarts, etc, goes crispy and holds together well, once baked and cooled. It releases well from a spring-clip dish after sliding a metal spatula around the edges.
Alternative Savoury Pastry (for base of meat pies and Quiche - to be blind-baked) 26.7g net carbs per batch
- 75g Almond Flour
- 40g Coconut Flour
- 40g Sesame Seeds
- 1 tblsp Psyllium Husk
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 3 tblsp Olive Oil
- 1 large Egg
- 60ml Water (Cold)
- Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl
- Lightly whisk the egg and the olive oil in another bowl
- Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well together
- Add the water 1 tablespoon at a time until it has mixed the dough into a soft ball of dough
- This pastry will not roll out, so press the dough gently into your selected pie/quiche dish along the bottom of the dish and sufficiently up the sides to contain your chosen filling. I always use a spring-clip dish for ease of releasing the dish after baking
- Prick the bottom of the pastry and bake blind in the centre of the oven at 175*C for 12 minutes
- Then fill as required.
- This pastry is perfect for open meat pies and quiches, etc. The pastry goes crispy around the edges and is not soggy on the bottom and holds together well, once baked and cooled. It releases well from a spring-clip dish after sliding a metal spatula around the edges.
Chocolate Pastry (for all things chocolate and cream) 23.3g net carbs per batch.
- 100g Almond Flour
- 35g Coconut Flour
- 35g High Content Cocoa Powder (Unsweetened)
- 1 tblsp Coffee Granules
- 3/4 tsp Xanthan Gum
- 90g Melted Butter
- 3 tblsp Bocha Sweet Sugar Substitute
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Preheat the oven to 175*C
- Put all the dry ingredients into a food processor and pulse gently to mix well
- Add the butter, sweetener and vanilla and pulse one more until all the ingredients start to come together as a ball of dough
- this pastry will not roll out easily, so press the dough into the dish of your choice, both on the bottom and up the sides to the level you require for your filling
- Prick the bottom of the pastry with a fork and place in the fridge for 2 hours to rest and chill
- Bake blind at 175*C for 15-18 minutes until dry to touch and lightly browned
- Fill as per your favourite recipe
