Gluten Free

Gluten Free Pie Crust

This is a highly versatile, very tender, flaky gluten free pie crust with a “Wow! This is really good. It can’t be gluten free” taste.

See also: Pie Crust for a wheat and dairy or Vegan pie crust.

The Inside Scoop

Pie crusts need to be worked COLD. Part of the flakiness of a pie crust comes from small pieces of butter melting and creating steam as the crust bakes. Freeze the sticks of butter before grating them. Butter can be grated using a hand grater or with a food processor. If using a hand grater, hold the butter using the paper it was originally wrapped in. Avoid using your hands as much as possible as the warmth of your hand may cause the butter to melt slightly.

If using a food processor, pulse until all the butter is grated; remove the butter from the bowl of food processor and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cream cheese does not grate well; cut cream cheese into small pieces using a knife or pastry knife. Refrigerate.

I do not use water in my pie crusts because water tends to make the pie crust heavy and tough. I will use lemon juice for flavor, if desired, and alcohol- typically vodka since it has no flavor. I may also use a flavored alcohol such as Salted Caramel Vodka when the flavor compliments the pie. Alcohol will burn out completely while baking and helps to make an exceptionally tender, flaky crust.

Combine the Gluten Free Flour Mix with the salt, xanthan gum and sugar. Use a pastry knife or food mill to cut the butter and cream cheese into the flour mix. If using a food mill, pulse for 1 second 3 – 4 times. Butter and cream cheese should be the size of small peas. As stated above, this is very important for a flaky crust: As the small balls of butter melt, they generate steam and lift the pie crust.

Gluten-free flour mix with butter and cream cheese the size of small peas.

If using a food processor, add the lemon juice and vodka through the feed tube and pulse just until dough begins to stick together. If mixing dough by hand, make a well in the center of the flour/butter mix and add the wet ingredients. Work together until dough just starts to stick together. Dough will be crumbly. Press together just until it holds a shape, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours so that the flour absorbs the liquids.

Gluten free pie crust, ready to refrigerate.

This is a very soft crust. After two hours, roll out the pie crust dough onto either a lightly floured pie mat or plastic wrap. Then, for even greater flakiness, laminate the pie crust 6-8 times. To laminate, the pie crust will be folded in thirds: Carefully lift one end of the piecrust using the plastic wrap and fold it over the middle third of the crust.

Now lift the other end of the pie crust using the plastic wrap and fold it on top of the other two thirds. You will have 2 smooth sides and 2 rough sides.

With one rough side facing you, roll out toward the other rough end, to elongate the pie crust. This will create a long, narrow crust with the short ends rough and the long sides smooth. Repeat the folding by again using the plastic wrap to lift one rough end and fold it over the middle third, then repeat with the other rough end. Turn the crust a quarter turn, then roll out away from you. Repeat the folding. Then turn the pie crust again a quarter turn and roll out and fold. You can turn, roll and fold up to 8 times. The pie crust will be smooth on all sides. Divide dough in half, wrap each half separately in plastic and chill until ready to use.

Once ready to use, roll out one half of the pie crust onto a pie mat or plastic wrap. Crust should be 1 1/2″ to 2″ wider that the diameter of the top of the pie plate, depending on whether you are using a regular or deep dish pie plate. Fold the dough in fourths, then gently lift the dough using the plastic wrap and slide dough into the pie plate. Unfold. For a one crust pie, trim crust so that it extends 1/2″ over edge of pie; fold edge under so that the crust comes to the edge of the pie plate’s lip and finish with a decorative edge. For a two crust pie, trim the bottom crust so that it is 1 ” wider than the pie plate’s rim. If the crust is not perfectly even, or if there are small tears in the dough, patch as needed with the extra pie crust dough.

And now, fill, bake and enjoy! And if you are like my taste testers who did not realize this was a gluten free crust, you may find that this is the best pie crust you have ever had!

Green tomato and dried apple pie with a gluter-free pie crust.

Print Recipe

Gluten-Free Pie Crust

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By Connie Teunis – Serves: 1 two-layer pie or two 1-layer pie

An incredibly tender, flaky gluten free pie crust that wil leave you saying, "Wow! This can't be gluten-free!"

Ingredients

465 g./ 3 cups my Gluten Free Flour Mix

2 sticks Unsalted Butter

4 oz. Full-Fat Cream Cheese

1 t. Salt

2 t. Xanthan Gum

1 T. Sugar

6 T. Water

6 T. Vodka or a flavored alcohol, or lemon juice

Instructions

1

Grate butter. Cut cream cheese into small pieces.

2

Combine gluten-free flour, salt, xanthan gum and sugar.

3

If using a food processor, place flour mix, butter and cream cheese into bowl of the food processor; pulse 3-4 times for 1 second, until butter is the size of small peas. Slowly add small amounts of lemon juice and vodka through the feed tube and pulse just until the dough begins to stick together. Do not overwork. Remove dough from bowl of food processor, press together just enough to make a loose ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

4

If making the pie crust by hand, cut the butter and cream cheese into the flour mix using a pastry knife, until the butter is the size of small peas. Make a well in the middle of the flour/butter mix and add the lemon juice and alcohol; mix just until dough begins to stick together. Do not over-mix. Shape dough into a loose ball, place in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

5

After two hours, remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on lightly floured plastic wrap or a pie mat. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough away from you. Lift one end of pie crust, using the plastic wrap, and fold one third of the dough over the middle third of the crust. Using the plastic wrap, fold the other end of the dough over the first two layers. Turn dough a quarter turn.

6

Again, roll out dough, rolling away from you. Repeat folding. Dough will now have a smooth edge on all sides. Turn dough a quarter turn.

7

Repeat turning, rolling and folding until dough has been rolled and folded up to 8 times. Cut dough in half, wrap each half separately in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use. Dough needs to be refrigerated at least 15 minutes.