Dreams really do come true!! That’s what I learned when I developed this gluten free pie crust recipe for the celiacs and gluten intolerant people in my life. The dream? To create a buttery, flaky, tender crust without the workhorse gluten involved so that the people I love, who can no longer tolerate gluten, could still enjoy a delicious piece of sweet or savory pie. And oh happy day! That dream has become a reality with this recipe and I can’t wait for you to try it!
Traditionally a butter crust is made with flour, salt, (sugar if desired), butter and water. However, when making a gluten free pie crust, you need a little help from some additional pantry staples to create that dream crust. In this case I added vinegar to help create tenderness/flakiness and milk, which has proteins that add to the stability and structure of the crust.
It’s also good to note that all gluten free flour blends are not created equally, meaning they are all unique formulations of flours, starches and sometimes gums. This crust recipe has only been tested with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour, my go-to flour blend that can be found in grocery stores across the country.
While the list of ingredients for pie crust is short and the techniques are simple, these techniques are VERY important to creating that dream crust! So first helpful hint, ensure that your butter is cold! This is critical because as the butter (which is made up of both solids and liquids) melts in the hot oven the water content evaporates creating those flaky tender layers in the crust.
Once the dry ingredients are mixed together you cut in (which simply means to incorporate the butter into the flour mixture) the cold butter. This cutting in process can be done with a fork, a pastry blender, a food processor or even just your fingers! Especially with gluten free crust I tend to have the best results with my food processor, but the recipe below includes instructions for using either a fork/pastry blender or a food processor such as a Cuisinart.
Whichever method you chose, your goal is to keep breaking down those butter pieces, working them into the flour mixture until they are about small pea sized like above. And here is the second helpful hint, be mindful of this part of the process as the cutting in is critical. You are wanting to incorporate the butter, without warming it up, this is the balancing act. From a visual stand point I am looking to ensure my flour and butter are well incorporated (meaning I don’t want to see a bunch of dry flour that looks like it hasn’t even touched the butter), but also that I can still see nice little chunks of butter throughout the dough.
It is now time to add the liquid to your mixture and time for the third helpful hint, be sure that your liquids are cold. Again, as in the above explanation, our goal is to keep that butter cold, so after all the work thus far, the last thing we want to do is melt the butter with some warm milk!
The exact amount of liquid will vary depending on conditions such as humidity and the degree to which the butter has been cut into the flour. This is why you almost always see a range of liquid measures in pie crust recipes. In this recipe, add the buttermilk first, and then any additional liquid one tablespoon at a time until dough begins to cling together.
Once the dough is just coming together, in an effort to not overwork it (which is helpful hint number four, don’t overwork the dough) I like to use the assistance of some plastic wrap. Simply dump the dough out onto plastic wrap laid out on the counter (for a double crust lay out two pieces of plastic wrap slightly overlapping to ensure enough surface area) and bring the corners of the plastic wrap together gently molding the dough into a ball. Once a ball is formed, I flatten it into more of a disc shape and then gently rewrap the plastic wrap to conform to the disc. At this point the dough can be either refrigerated for later use, or it can be rolled out!
When making the double crust recipe below you will want to cut the disc in half and only roll out half of the dough at a time. Above you can see how the dough looks moist throughout and there are visible chunks of butter.
I love working with pie crust, but when it came to developing a gluten free version, I found myself dreading the rolling out process. So many times the dough would either be so tough that it felt like I was trying to flatten a brick and/or it would just crack apart. Arghhhhh! And no matter how many times I would try to repair it with a good attitude, I would almost always end up in a tirade of expletives….and honestly, baking and anger just aren’t good companions. So, imagine my supreme giddiness when I rolled this crust out during my first trial and there wasn’t even a hint of swear words swirling around my brain! In fact I’m wondering if this should indeed be named, the No Cuss Pie Crust?! Because this is what I want for you too, to make a gluten free pie crust with none of the dread or resentment, but all of the fun and the joy!
A tool that I find ridiculously helpful in rolling out this crust (and perhaps this is helpful hint number five!) is my new silicon pastry mat! The dough easily glides across it as it is being rolled out and it makes transferring the dough to the pie plate a breeze. Once the pie crust is nicely tucked into the pie pan a quick trimming around the edge is all that’s needed and it is ready for filling!
Gluten Free Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 10-12 tablespoons milk, lactose free if needed
Instructions
Method 1:
- Mix together vinegar and 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) of milk. Set aside and keep cool.
- In a medium bowl, stir together flour, salt and sugar.
- Scatter butter chunks over the flour mixture and with either a fork or a pastry blender cut the butter into the flour, meaning incorporate the butter into the flour until the butter is about the size of small peas
- Pour in the buttermilk and using a spatula or spoon, gently stir to bring the dough together, adding additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time until dough from loose clumps or curds. You may not need all the liquid.
- Turn the dough out onto plastic wrap and form into a disc shape. At this point the dough can be refrigerated for later use (up to a couple days) or rolled out immediately. If you are saving for later, let dough sit at room temp for about an hour as a dough straight from the fridge will be difficult to roll.
- This recipe makes enough for one double pie crust (top and bottom crust), or two single layer pies. Only roll out half the dough at a time.
Method 2:
- Mix together vinegar and 8 tablespoons (1/2 cup) of milk. Set aside and keep cool
- In the bowl of a food processor, whir together flour, salt and sugar.
- Scatter butter chunks over the flour mixture and pulse in long blitzes (10-12) until butter is fully incorporated into the flour, but there are still visible mini chunks of butter.
- Add buttermilk and process a couple seconds. Add additional milk one tablespoon at a time, processing after each addition until dough comes together in clumps or curds.
- Turn dough out onto plastic wrap and form into a disc shape. At this point the dough can be refrigerated for later use (up to a couple days) or rolled out immediately. If you are saving for later, let dough sit at room temp for about an hour as a dough straight from the fridge will be difficult to roll.
- This recipe makes enough for one double piecrust (top and bottom crust), or two single layer pies. Only roll out half the dough at a time.
[…] The making of an apple pie, or any pie for that matter begins with a solid recipe for the crust. Oh sure, you could purchase a crust…..but don’t do it!! Homemade crust is soooooo much better and I’ve created a gluten free version that truly is easy as pie! Find it here. […]