I have to admit. This is a selfish post. Besides writing, I bake for a living and we sell our pies at local farmer's markets. More and more people are asking me for gluten-free pies, so last week I experimented with a gluten-free pie crust. It didn't go as planned.
My crust was pretty tough &mdash not at all the light and flaky crust we're used to selling. I used King Arthur's Gluten Free Multi-Purpose Flour; I'm generally a big fan of King Arthur products but I wasn't in love with the way that the crust turned out. Now I understand it'll be pretty impossible to get the same light flakiness, but I'm wondering if you all have any favorite flour combinations or tips you'd like to pass on. From folks I've talked to, it seems like the best route is to mix your own flours and find the best combination that works for your particular product. Sounds like a long road ahead!
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Elana Amsterdam has the best, in my opinion. It's from her almond flour cookbook. 1/5 c blanched almond flour, 1/4t sea salt, 1/4t baking soda, 1/4c grapeseed oil, 2T agave nectar, 1t vanilla extract. Preheat to 350. Combine wet and dry ingredients sepately, then add together. Press dough into 9.5" or deep dish pie pan. Bake 10 - 15 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely before filling.
It is SO good!
@ DaniellaC: does that actually come out as a dough? It seems there is a larger volume of wet ingredients than dry if there's only 1/5 c of almond flour...
Elana's recipe actually calls for one and a half cups of almond flour, as per this link: http://www.elanaspantry.com/chocolate-cream-pie/
yeah I was wondering the same thing
I make gluten-free pie crust all the time, and find the best success when I include a "grainier" gluten-free flour in the mix (such as brown rice flour or millet flour). I also use a bit of sweet rice flour in the mix. I've done dairy-free pie crusts using vegan shortening, as well as butter for a pate brisee. You need a fair bit of xantham gum in the mix, and don't want to handle the pie crust too much or it will become tough and chewy.
Finally, an egg added as part or all of the liquid will really help. If you can't tolerate egg, some flax gel or chia gel can be substituted. Use Michael Ruhlman's ratios as a guide -- a 1:2:3 pie crust works for gluten-free too!
You will end up with a rollable pie crust, but save yourself some grief and roll it out on the largest silicone mat you have with some plastic or parchment on top -- liberal dusting of sweet rice flour as you go.
caliH -- no, not a dough; rather a meal that gets pressed into the plate.
I do a lot of gluten-free baking, and pie crust has always been my waterloo. It's just really, reeeaaallly hard to mimic the taste and texture of regular pie crust, mainly because gluten is responsible for all those little pockets of air that make regular pie crust so flakey and delicious!
The most success I have had is with the Bob's Red Mill Bisquit and Baking mix (the recipe for pie dough is on the back of the package). It's also the easiest (IMHO) for the gluten-free un-initiated to make. It does have a "taste" (not a bad taste, but different) that takes a minute to get used to, just because it's different.
As a final note, if you want to make gluten-free pies for your customers, you will have to be careful to follow good anti-contamination practices. It's no use making gluten-free pies if your workspace or your rolling pin have minute quantities of regular flour on them. Sadly, that's enough to make celiac's sick. A good tip is to cover your rolling pin with plastic wrap, or roll your dough out between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. I hope that helps!
Sorry! Yes, 1.5c almond flour. It was too early.
And it is doughy, but not something that could be rolled out.
I always use Jill's recipe from Hey That Tastes Good-- http://www.heythattastesgood.com/2008/09/little-pies-or-if-you-want-galettes.html
It is flaky and delish!
Wow, thanks so much for all of your great suggestions. Back to the drawing board I go...
this is seriously the best pie crust, gluten free or regular: http://abakinglife.blogspot.com/2010/02/unintended-consequences.html
it is perfect!
I've been making the Annalise Robert's (Gluten Free Baking Classics) pie crust for years (both sweet and savory versions). This rolls out well (and stays intact) and doesn't get mushy once it's filled. I just used it to make a quiche on Monday. It freezes well too.