Advantages

• Chickpeas add an exotic twist to savory dishes made with crusts, including traditional savory double-crust pies and quiches. The legumes are especially prized because, once cooked, their spreadable, creamy texture is easy to work with. Chickpeas are also gluten-free and rich in protein. The beans also transform pizza when used instead of a standard flour-based crust. Chickpea dough can also be wrapped around a vegetable or meat filling to create savory turnovers.

Chickpea Base

• To use chickpeas, you'll need to puree them into a spreadable consistency. If you start with dried beans, soak them overnight and then cook them until tender. Alternatively, use canned chickpeas, which are sometimes labeled garbanzos. Canned chickpeas need only to be rinsed and drained before pureeing them, although briefly heating them in the microwave softens them slightly and makes the task easier. Small amounts of olive oil, broth or water helps make the chickpeas easier to puree.

Additional Ingredients

• When substituting all or some of the wheat flour with a chickpea paste, you may run up against some crust-making challenges. The gluten in white flour acts as a binding and smoothing agent. To counteract the loss of this gluten, turn to ingredients such as eggs, xanthan gum or guar gum. Olive oil or an egg white will increase moisture if the chickpea base is too crumbly. Bland crusts can be counteracted with the addition of spices. If you find your crust is too weak, strengthen it with powdered milk, tapioca or arrowroot.

Methods

• If your chickpea crusts are consistently tough, wait at least half an hour after making the dough before rolling and baking it. Letting the dough rest has a softening effect. Crusts made without gluten flour can react unpredictably in the oven. Using a dark-colored pie pan, pizza pan or baking dish helps crust brown more evenly. When handling leftovers, wrap them securely in plastic wrap, because flourless crusts dry out more quickly.

Health Considerations

• Chickpea crust recipes can be further modified for people who have dietary restrictions. If you are gluten-intolerant and your recipe calls for combining mashed chickpeas with white flour, experiment with chickpea or soy flour instead. If you are making a pizza or quiche but wish to avoid dairy, look for a plant-based cheese substitute, such as soy cheese. Soy, rice and almond products also come to the rescue for vegans looking to avoid butter and milk used in some crust recipes.