Recipe: Canola Oil Pastry, Canola Oil Pie Crust, Streusel Topping

Canola Oil! Pastry
Source: Canola Information Service
Yield: 2 (9 inch) shells (8 slices per shell)

Try this canola oil pastry as a healthier alternative to traditional pastry recipes. Baking with canola oil can help reduce your saturated fat intake. By substituting canola oil for melted hard fat, butter, shortening, lard or brick margarine you replace fats higher in saturated fatty acids with an oil which has the lowest level of saturated fatty acids. When substituting oil for solid fats you also use about 20 percent less oil. Not only have you chosen a healthier alternative but reduced the total fat in your baked good.

Canola Oil Pastry

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup Canola oil
3 to 4 tbsp. ice water

Measure flour and salt into bowl. Add Canola oil. Mix together until particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle with water, 1 tbsp. at a time, mixing until flour is moistened and dough almost lifts from the side of the bowl. If dough seems dry, 1 or 2 tbsp. Canola oil can be added. Do not add additional water. Gather dough, press firmly into ball. Divide dough into two rounds. Flatten round between two sheets of wax paper.

Wipe counter with damp cloth to prevent paper from slipping. Roll pastry to two inches larger than inverted pie plate. Peel off top paper. Place pastry, paper side up in pan. Peel off paper. Ease pastry loosely into plate. Trim edge of pastry 1 inch from rim of pan. Fold and roll pastry under, even with the pan; flute edge. Prick bottom and sides thoroughly with a fork.

Bake at 425 F 12 to 15 minutes.

For a two-crust pie, roll top crust in same way. Cut slits after peeling top paper, trim and complete in the usual manner. Bake according to recipe.

* Canola oil pastry is to be used immediately as it dries out quickly. If the pastry is not used immediately, wrap tightly and keep chilled.

Canola Oil Pie Crust
Makes 2 - 9 inch shells (8 slices per shell)

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. cold 1% milk
1/2 cup Canola oil

Sift together flour, sugar and salt. In a small bowl, beat milk into Canola oil with fork until frothy. Form a well in flour mixture. Add oil mixture and combine gently with a fork until crumbly. Pat in pie plate as you would for graham wafer crust. Add filling and bake according to filling recipe.

Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp. Canola margarine

Combine flour, sugar and Canola margarine. Crumble together until mixture is the size of bread crumbs.