The Finest Gluten-Free Pie Crust Recipe

I bear in mind the primary time I got down to make a do-it-yourself pie crust. Let me inform you, it was extremely intimidating beginning out and looking for that excellent pie crust recipe! I wanted it to be gluten-free for an apple pie I used to be making to take to a household gathering on the time. I attempted just a few recipes however was shortly disillusioned with how my makes an attempt turned out. The crust was gritty, and the gluten-free flour really helpful gave the crust an odd aftertaste – to not point out, there have been simply loads of points with forming the dough that I bumped into. 

I knew there needed to be a better strategy to make a gluten-free pie crust and make it style nice, too. After loads of experimentation and trial and error, I lastly developed a critically buttery, flaky, melt-in-your-mouth, gluten-free pie crust that works with any kind of pie filling.

Recipe Highlights

It’s superb how a lot this crust mimics the style and texture of a conventional pie crust regardless of utilizing solely a handful of components – the primary one being gluten-free flour. I’ve spent numerous hours perfecting this recipe and troubleshooting points that popped up alongside the best way, and I’m lastly assured in its simplicity and reliability.

This recipe makes sufficient for 2 single-crust pies or one double-crust pie. Every time I make it, my family and friends are impressed by how effectively it behaves and the way scrumptious it seems – they’ve informed me earlier than that they’d have by no means guessed it was gluten-free if I hadn’t informed them

Substances To Make Gluten-Free Pie Crust

Listed here are the components I take advantage of to make my do-it-yourself, gluten-free pie crust:

• Gluten-free flour: I take advantage of Bob’s Crimson Mill One-to-One Gluten-Free Baking Flour or King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Gluten-Free Flour. These are one of the best I’ve discovered via trial and error when it comes to GF flour for my pie crusts. For one, I’ve discovered that these two flours are by far the simplest GF flour blends to work with. Moreover, there’s no – or little or no – grittiness with regards to the textural final result of the gluten-free baked crust, and there’s no tremendous unusual aftertaste anybody must be on guard for. This can be as a result of each manufacturers incorporate forms of rice flour as an alternative of cornstarch or tapioca starch as the primary base ingredient. 
• Butter: Use chilly, unsalted butter (make your personal, if you happen to’ve bought the time!), and lower into slices. For vegan or dairy-free choices, I’ve additionally examined making this crust utilizing plant-based butter and have discovered that I can nonetheless get a flaky, buttery pie crust that everybody can get pleasure from.
• Sugar: A small quantity of cane or uncooked sugar provides only a trace of sweetness to the crust. 
• Apple cider vinegar: A splash of ACV helps gluten-free baked items bake as much as perfection.
• Egg: An egg helps create sufficient elasticity within the gluten-free pie crust dough to offer it the suitable texture and make it straightforward to maneuver into the pie plate. Nonetheless, the recipe works sans egg if you happen to’re going for a vegan take.
• Chilly water
• Salt

Discover the ingredient listing with precise measurements within the recipe card under.

Gear You’ll Want

Whereas my family and friends would probably guess that my scrumptious pie crust is made with some fancy kitchen tools, I really solely use just a few easy kitchen instruments to make it:Mixing bowl: I at all times go for utilizing a large-sized mixing bowl.

• Kitchen scale: I usually use a kitchen scale to weigh my flour as an alternative of utilizing the “scoop technique,” which is the place flour can grow to be packed within the measuring cup. The “scoop technique” can simply lead to unintentionally utilizing an excessive amount of flour, making my pie crust too dry and crumbly. I’ve discovered that with any gluten-free baking recipe if I measure components by weight, I do know I’ve precisely the correct quantity – and it comes out nice each single time. 
• Rolling pin: Enjoyable reality: I’ve discovered that if my rolling pin is MIA or not clear as a result of I simply made one thing else with it, I can use a wine bottle to roll out my dough. 
• Pastry cutter: Also called a pastry or dough blender, this device is crucial for serving to “lower in” the butter to the flour. It’s attainable to make the recipe with out this device by utilizing two butter knives to chop the butter into the flour — however I’ve discovered it simply takes a bit of longer and may generally be a little bit of a headache.
• Pie plate: A 9-inch glass pie plate works greatest for me, as there’s at all times sufficient pie crust on the edges for me to flute (both crimped or wavy-style) or to chop out just a few leaves and different dough shapes for some added ornament to the highest of my pies. Now, a 10-inch glass pie plate or a deep dish pie plate may also work; I simply don’t desire these as I’ll have much less of that ‘additional’ pie crust to work with for my fancy edges and pie design work.
• Parchment paper: That is a vital device for making my gluten-free pie crust recipe, as I roll the pie crust out between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Not solely does the parchment assist flatten the dough to the suitable even thickness, however it additionally makes transferring the pie dough into the pie plate a lot simpler.

How To Make The Crust

Observe these primary steps to make your gluten-free pie crust:These are the essential step-by-step directions I take advantage of to make my gluten-free pie crust:

1. In a big bowl, mix the flour and butter. Utilizing a pastry cutter, lower the butter into the flour till the dough resembles a crumbly texture (the scale of small peas).
2. Add the salt, sugar, vinegar, egg, and a pair of tablespoons of water. Stir to combine, after which – with clear fingers – proceed to work the dough till it comes collectively to type a unfastened, massive ball. It ought to stick collectively fairly simply. If not, add 1-2 teaspoons extra water.
3. Divide the dough into 2 equal elements and type every right into a ball. Place one dough ball within the middle of half of a big sheet of parchment paper. 
4. Fold the paper over and press down on the dough to type a disc. Wrap it up and place it within the fridge. Repeat with the second dough ball.
5. Permit the dough to sit back for 1-2 hours. Whether it is chilling for longer, permit it to set at room temperature for 30-60 minutes earlier than rolling it out.

To roll out the dough:

1. Take away the dough from the parchment paper and mud the paper calmly with flour. Place the dough again onto the middle of the parchment paper, and mud the highest of the dough calmly with flour now. Cowl with one other sheet of parchment paper. 
2. Utilizing a rolling pin, roll the dough right into a ⅛-¼” thick spherical crust. If the dough begins to stay to the parchment paper, repeat the sunshine dusting course of with flour.
3. Rigorously take away the highest parchment paper. Slide your hand underneath the underside layer of the parchment paper and punctiliously flip the dough over into the pie plate.
4. Rigorously take away the remaining parchment paper from the dough. Gently press the dough into the pie plate, trim the surplus dough from the perimeters, and depart sufficient to create a thick edge. Fill within the thinner spots as wanted with the surplus dough.
5. Add an ornamental sample to the sting if desired, comparable to a fluted edge. 
6. Press a fork 5-6 occasions into the underside of the pie crust. This can assist the pie crust keep flat and never bubble up when baking or pre-baking

For serving dimension and the entire instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll all the way down to the recipe card under. All of our recipes embody the diet evaluation, itemizing energy (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, ldl cholesterol, and extra per serving.

Troubleshooting The Pie Dough

There are some things I’ve examined when perfecting my gluten-free pie dough, comparable to addressing dryness, extra moisture, and dough sticking to the parchment paper in the course of the rolling course of. Right here’s what works for me any time I run into these points:

If The Dough Is Too Dry

I at all times know if my pie dough is simply too dry if it cracks, crumbles, or doesn’t come collectively simply once I roll it into two ball shapes. The wrongdoer right here is probably going an excessive amount of flour. I’ve discovered, although, that this may be simply corrected. If this occurs, I merely add one tablespoon of chilly water at a time till the dough types a pleasant clean ball, as pictured above.

If The Dough Is Too Moist

On the flip aspect, I do know I want so as to add extra flour if my dough is simply too moist and gained’t maintain a dough ball. This difficulty can be simply corrected. To repair the dough being too watery, I add 2 tablespoons of gluten-free flour at a time till the dough simply types right into a clean ball.

Make It Dairy-Free

Generally, I have to make the pie crust not solely gluten-free however dairy-free, too. To do that, I exchange the common butter with one among my favourite plant-based butter alternate options, comparable to Earth Steadiness or Plant-Primarily based Nation Crock. I at all times be sure that to make use of stick butter and never spreadable plant-based butter, because the water content material in these two types of butter may be very totally different. Let’s simply say that I’ve discovered the onerous approach that utilizing the suitable plant-based butter issues because it alters the tip results of the crust.

Make It Vegan

A few of my associates are vegan, so if I wish to make a pie in the course of the holidays for a gaggle gathering – one instance being Friendsgiving within the autumn season – I be sure that to make my crust so everybody can get pleasure from it. To make the pie crust vegan, I take advantage of plant-based, vegan butter but additionally omit the egg. Instead of the egg, I take advantage of an extra ¼-⅓ cup of chilly water. I slowly add the water to the dough till it reaches the suitable texture. Lastly, I roll the dough out between 2 items of parchment paper and switch it to my pie plate.Now, I’ve discovered via my recipe experimentation course of that as a result of the dough doesn’t have the egg to offer it the conventional quantity of elasticity, the pie crust could have small cracks and even break into items. To assist try to forestall this from taking place, I be sure that I press and type the pie dough extraordinarily rigorously into my pie plate.

How To Serve

What I really like about this gluten-free pie crust recipe is its versatility. I can use it for thus lots of my favourite crust-based recipes, together with pumpkin pie, pecan pie, tarts, and even savory dishes like quiche or hen pot pie. 

It’s necessary that I at all times make a reminder to myself – whether or not it’s psychological or bodily written down – that if I make double-crusted pie recipes, like hen pot pie, I have to make sufficient gluten-free pie dough for each the underside crust and the highest crust. Nonetheless, if I’m simply sticking to creating single-crust pies, there’s no want to fret about this additional step (or making any additional GF dough). 

How To Retailer

I really like how I could make this gluten-free pie crust recipe as much as 4 days earlier than I want it – I can merely retailer it within the fridge till I’m prepared to make use of it. I place the dough in parchment paper, press it all the way down to a disc form, and maintain it within the fridge for as much as 5 days. Then, once I’m prepared to make use of it, I permit it to take a seat at room temperature for Half-hour earlier than I roll it out. Unbaked, the dough will final within the freezer for as much as 3 months. Listed here are my high 2 tried and examined methods to go about freezing my pie dough:

Freeze The Dough Discs

I make the pie dough balls, and after flattening them into two discs, I wrap every one in plastic wrap (to make sure they don’t dry out). Then, I place them in one among my freezer-friendly containers and maintain them within the freezer for as much as 3 months. 

After I’m prepared to make use of one of many pie discs, I both place the pie dough within the fridge in a single day or on the counter for about 15-Half-hour till it’s thawed simply sufficient to roll out. I’ve discovered that pie crust is way simpler to roll out and switch to a pie pan when it’s nonetheless chilly slightly than when it’s room temperature or heat.

Freeze The Dough In A Pie Plate

After urgent the dough into my pie plate, I wrap it (plate and all) in plastic wrap so the crust doesn’t dry out. Then, I freeze the pie crust – uncooked, not par-baked – for as much as 3 months. After I’m prepared to make use of it, I merely let the pie dough sit at room temperature for Half-hour after which par-bake the crust earlier than I fill it.

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