Wheat Pie Recipes

WHEAT PIE

Steps:

• Crust: Cream butter and sugar. Add flour, baking powder and vanilla. Blend with a fork. Add eggs and water. Work with hands until dough is manageable. Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth. Form into a ball, put in a bowl, cover and chill overnight. The next day, divide dough into 4 parts, 2 larger than the others. Roll the large pieces between floured waxed paper into large discs about 1/8-inch thick. Line 2 (10-inch) pie pans with dough. Roll out smaller pieces of dough about 1/3-inch thick and cut into 3/4-inch strips for lattice toppings. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Filling: Prepare wheat. Cover with fresh water, add 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil uncovered (stir frequently to prevent sticking). Drain water and add 1/2 cup scalded milk, 1 teaspoon sugar, and boil for 5 minutes. Add orange peel, mix and allow to cool.
• Put ricotta in large bowl, put sugar on top and let stand for 5 minutes. Do not mix with an electric appliance, mix well with a wooden spoon. Beat eggs and add to ricotta mixture. Add orange marmalade, and orange blossom water. Add cooked wheat. Set aside and make custard.
• Heat 1 cup milk and butter in a saucepan. Add 1/2 cup cold milk to dry ingredients, stir until smooth and then add this to hot milk and butter in saucepan. Stir constantly until thick. Take 2 slightly beaten eggs and add 1/4 cup of hot mixture to eggs. Cook on low for 2 minutes. Let cool and add a teaspoon of vanilla. Add this back to ingredients in saucepan. You will have a thick custard, fold custard into the ricotta mixture gently.
• Pour filling into the piecrust. Then put a lattice piecrust on top. Brush with milk and put in oven at 350 degree for 1 hour or until the middle is firm. Put in refrigerator overnight and serve cold.
• The recipes for this program, which were provided by contributors and guests who may not be professional chefs, have not been tested in Food Networks kitchens. Therefore, Food Network cannot attest to the accuracy of any of the recipes.

BASIC 100% WHOLE WHEAT PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Mix 3/4 cup flour, gluten, and salt together in a bowl. Cut shortening into flour mixture using a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Mix 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon water into the flour mixture using your hands until dough easily forms a ball; add more water if needed.
• Flatten dough into a pancake-like shape on a floured surface; sprinkle top of dough liberally with about 1 tablespoon flour. Roll dough, using a rolling pin, into a thin pie crust about 1-inch larger than your pie pan. Roll the crust onto the rolling pin and transfer to the pie pan.

MARIA'S EASTER (WHEAT) PIE/"PASTIERA DI GRANO"

Steps:

• ***PreparingThe Wheat: If"soaked" or"precooked" wheat is not available, dry wheat may be used.
• Cover the dry wheat with cold water (water should be about 2 inches over the wheat) and boil it for 15 minutes or until the wheat berries crack open.
• Remove pan from heat and allow wheat to soak for a full 24 hours.
• After soaking, drain well before using in steps#17-19.
• If"soaked"/"precooked" wheat is used, add the wheat to a pan of boiling water and cook it for about 5-10 minutes (most of the wheat berries should be open and they should be chewy but tender).
• Drain well, let cool and use for steps#17-19.
• Crust: Mix flour, sugar and lemon peel together in a bowl.
• Work butter into flour using your fingers (until it is the size of peas).
• Add eggs one at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon.
• Knead the dough lightly until it holds together well and clears the bowl.
• Form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill it for about 1/2- 1 hour before using.
• Cream: Fill the bottom of a double boiler with enough water so that its insert doesn't quite touch the water; bring the water to a boil.
• Mix the whole milk, egg yolks, sugar, flour, lemon peel and citron together in the insert of the double boiler which has been set in to the bottom pan.
• Cook the"cream," stirring constantly until it has thickened and is the consistency of a thick pudding (about 20-30 minutes).
• Remove the insert from the boiling water and set aside to allow the"cream" to cool, stir occasionally to keep a skin from forming.
• Note: I sometimes put the insert pan with the"cream" mixture into a bowl of very cold water, to help it cool down faster, don't forget to stir it.
• Wheat: Add the (cooked, soaked, well drained) wheat to a saucepan with the milk and butter.
• Cook the wheat mixture, stirring occasionally until the butter melts, and mixture starts to boil; boil for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• Prepare Pans: On a lightly floured board, roll out the chilled dough to about 1/8 inch thick and line the bottom and sides of two lightly buttered 9-inch glass cake pans.
• Leave a 1/2 inch overhang of dough if you are going to use the lattice top.
• If not using the lattice, trim the overhang to 1/4 inch.
• Re-roll scraps and cut into 1/2 inch wide strips to use as a lattice top for the pie.
• (If you prefer, the lattice can be omitted.) Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Ricotta Filling: Mix ricotta, eggs, sugar and lemon peel together in a large bowl.
• Beat mixture by hand, with a wooden spoon, until smooth and creamy.
• Add the"cream" mixture and the wheat mixture to the ricotta filling, stirring until all is well blended.
• Pour or ladle the filling into prepared pans (to within 1/4 inch of the top of the pan).
• For The Lattice: place the strips of dough across the filling, spaced about 1 inch apart (at right angles) forming a lattice top.
• Fold the 1/2 inch overhang over the edges of the lattice and flute well.
• If not making the lattice top, fold the 1/4 inch overhang on to itself, and lightly flute.
• Bake pies in a preheated 350°F oven for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the bottom of the crust is light brown, the center is set, and the top of the pies are golden.
• Turn off oven and let the pies cool for an hour in the oven with the oven door slightly (about 2 inches) ajar.
• Remove pies from oven and place on a wire rack.
• When completely cooled, cover loosely with plastic wrap and chill until serving.
• If you like, you can give the pie tops a light sprinkle of powdered sugar before serving.
• Note: Its best to served this pie directly from the pan, as trying to plate the whole pie is more trouble than its worth, and causes breakage.

CHERRY-BERRY PIE WITH WHOLE WHEAT PIE CRUST

Steps:

• Place flour, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times to combine. Add butter and pulse a few more times until mixture has the texture of coarse sand.
• Mix cold water and vinegar together in a small measuring cup. Add 1/2 the mixture to the food processor; pulse a few times. Add additional mixture until dough comes together slightly. Divide dough in 1/2. Wrap each 1/2 in plastic wrap and form into discs. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a 9-inch pie pan on top. Set aside.
• Mix sour cherries, blackberries, blueberries, and ground cherries together in a bowl. Whisk 1 cup maple syrup, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla extract, cinnamon, almond extract, nutmeg, and salt together in a small bowl until smooth. Pour over berries and toss to combine; set pie filling aside.
• Remove 1 disc of pie dough from the refrigerator. Roll out into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place evenly into the bottom and over the sides of the pie pan. Roll out second piece of dough into another 12-inch circle; cut into 1-inch strips. Pour pie filling into the crust and use dough strips to form a lattice pattern on top. Remove any excess overhanging dough and crimp the edges to seal.
• Whisk egg and water together in a small bowl until combined. Lightly brush egg wash over pie crust. Cover edges of pie crust with aluminum foil to prevent overbrowning.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 30 to 40 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before serving.

WHOLE WHEAT PIE CRUST WITH OATS

Steps:

• Place oats in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until finely ground.
• Transfer ground oats to a medium bowl; stir in flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons water. Blend with a fork until mixture holds together, adding up to 1 tablespoon more water if necessary.
• With minimal shaping, form dough into a ball and place on a lightly floured sheet of waxed paper. Place another sheet of waxed paper on top and roll dough into a 1/8-inch thick circle large enough to fit a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. (This dough breaks more easily than a white flour dough; the wax paper helps with that.)
• Remove top sheet of waxed paper and invert dough into the pie plate. Slowly peel away remaining sheet of waxed paper and trim any excess crust. Turn dough edge under and crimp as desired.
• Crust is ready to fill. See notes if your recipe requires a pre-baked crust.

ITALIAN WHEAT PIE

Steps:

• Place the grano in a medium saucepan and cover with water until it is thoroughly immersed. Let it soak at room temperature for 24 hours.
• To prepare the pie shell, combine the flour and sugar in a medium bowl and toss them together. Add the 3 eggs, mixing them in well, but with a light touch to avoid overworking the dough. Once the dough begins to crumble into pea-size pieces, add the butter, using your fingertips to incorporate. If the dough feels dry and is difficult to work, add a little cold water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until you are able to easily form the dough into a ball. Wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.
• When the dough is chilled, remove it from the refrigerator. Sprinkle your work surface with flour and divide the dough in half, reserving one half of the dough for the lattice topping. Roll out one half with a rolling pin until it forms a 12-inch circle, approximately 1/4 inch thick. Fold the circle in half, place it in a deep-dish 10-inch pie plate so that the edges of the circle drop over the rim, and unfold the dough to completely cover the pie plate. Using your thumb and index finger, crimp the edges of the pie shell.
• To prepare the filling, strain the water from the saucepan. Add new water, once again thoroughly covering the wheat. Place the saucepan on the heat and boil the wheat for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the wheat is tender and cooked through. Drain the water from the pan. Add 1 cup of the sugar, the vanilla, and cinnamon, stirring them into the soaked wheat. Set aside, letting the wheat mixture cool to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the filling.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the 10 eggs until they are lightly beaten. Add the ricotta and the remaining 1 cup sugar and mix, stopping often to scrape the sides of the bowl. If you want to add raisins to this recipe, add them into the mixture now. Add the cooled wheat mixture and mix on medium again until all the ingredients are well combined.
• To assemble the pie, pour the filling into the pie shell, distributing it evenly. Roll out the second half of the dough, again to about 1/4-inch thickness. Using a sharp knife or a pastry wheel, cut the round into 3/4-inch strips. Place the strips over the top of the pie filling, lattice style, so that the edges of the strips meet the crimped edges of the pie shell. Ultimately, you want to create a checkerboard effect, with the lattice strips placed both vertically and horizontally across the pie.
• To bake, place the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the pie 180 degrees for even browning. Bake for 25 more minutes, or until the pie is firm in the middle. Transfer the pie plate to a wire cooling rack and allow the pie to cool completely before serving.
• Italian Wheat Pie should be served cold or at room temperature. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Grano is whole durum wheat and is characterized by its firm but chewy consistency. Prior to the popularity of pasta, grano served as a staple in Italian cooking. Soak grano in water overnight before using so that it can soften. Look for it at Italian specialty food shops and local grocery stores.