Gluten Free Pie Crust

Gluten free crust for pie

I guess it was the title of the recipe that grabbed me: Extra Flaky Gluten Free Crust. If you have a person with celiac or gluten intolerance in your family, you will likely perk up your ears also for a good pie crust recipe. And one that claims to be flaky, even Extra Flaky!

This was easier to handle than some gluten free dough I’ve made, and the Gluten Free on a Shoestring blog by Nicole Hunn is nicely illustrated, including her recent video of making the crust.

My grandson (now six) has celiac. He has been growing like a weed ever since he went on a rigid celiac diet. He doesn’t necessarily like pie crust (yes, this crust still has a somewhat gritty consistency). But his mother is to the point of trying to serve as much GF food as possible for their family in order that the rest of the family doesn’t have to be so careful about cross-contamination with his food when the family is eating.

Our favorite fall apples, Stayman, had just become available at our preferred farm-based orchard, Paughs, so I was anxious to get some fall pies going.

The main way this recipe differs from others is using sour cream in the dough, along with cold butter. And I just happened to have on hand an 8 oz. cup container of sour cream. 

(Adapted slightly from Nicole’s recipe.)

Nicole’s Extra Flaky Gluten-Free Pie Crust

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (210 g) all-purpose gluten free flour (I used Pillsbury Gluten-free All Purpose Flour, which already has xanthan gum in it, so I didn’t add more)
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter, roughly chopped and chilled (I used salted butter, because that’s what I had)
1/2 cup (120 g) sour cream (preferably not lowfat), chilled
Ice water by the teaspoonful, as necessary

Fresh cut up fruit (apples or other) for pie according to your favorite recipe or canned pie filling.

Directions for crust

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add small chunks of chilled butter. Flatten each chunk of butter between thumb and one finger. Add sour cream. Mix. The dough will be somewhat crumbly. Then knead the dough together (clean hands of course). Eventually it will start to hang together. You can add cold water by teaspoon as needed to hold dough together. (I added about 3 teaspoons cold water, one at a time.) Turn the dough out onto a sheet of wax paper (or plastic wrap), and press into a clump, folding the paper around the balls of dough. It won’t be perfectly smooth. Place the dough in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes. (I had two balls of dough given these ingredients, one for bottom crust and one for top.)

Preheat oven to 425°F

Unroll the chilled dough. Turn it out onto a lightly floured piece of wax or parchment paper. Sprinkle the dough lightly with more flour, and using your rolling pin, roll dough in a circle, moving the dough and turning over, and sprinkling it and the paper lightly with flour if it begins to stick.

Roll until approximately 12-inches around, about 1/4-inch thick (or less if it doesn’t cooperate). Keep sprinkling with GF flour if it starts sticking to your rolling pin.

Lift the bottom pie crust with the paper and flip it into your pie pan. (Nicole has other instructions for transferring the dough to the pie pan and crimping the edges.) Using fingers, dampen the dough slightly all around outside edge.

Add apples or other pie filling for your favorite pie recipe, at least 5 cups worth. Roll out second pie crust on wax or parchment paper and lightly score the crust with lines and slits to let steam out while baking. Can follow this pattern for slits ( = ).

Again, lift the pie’s second crust carefully on wax or parchment paper, and flip it over the pie. Crimp the edge together—with a fork or twisting your thumb and forefinger to make the bottom and top crusts stick together.  

Put aluminum foil around edge to prevent burning, or use a purchased pie edge crust cover. Bake for 10 minutes at high temperature (425°), then lower temperature to 375° for another 45-50 minutes. (Don’t forget to lower the temperature as I did recently.)

Remove from oven. Cool. Enjoy. I love it slightly warm, and with ice cream!