Most of us LOVE pie and some of us have to avoid gluten. Here's a recipe to which my gluten-free tasters said, 'Yum!"
Gluten-Free Crust
Ingredients
Ingredients for a double crust:
2 ½ c. special gluten-free multi-purpose flour from that famous flour company in Vermont
1 T. sugar
4 t. “instant” clear jel from that same famous flour company
(optional, not packed in a gluten-free facility)
1 t. xanthan gum (expensive but essential; available at health food stores)
1 t. salt
12 T. vegetable shortening (solid), very cold, or butter
2 eggs
4 t. lemon juice or vinegar
Directions
1. Remember to lightly grease your 9” pie pan.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients.
3. Using a pastry blender or two forks, cut the cold vegetable shortening into the flour mixture until it looks mostly like cornmeal with some pea-size chunks, too.
4. Whisk together the eggs and vinegar/juice until foamy. Stir into the dry ingredients until it holds together. Add 1-3 T. ice water if necessary.
5. Shape into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour.
6. When ready to roll, let the dough rest at room temperature for 10 minutes. Rolling will be tricky due to the lack of gluten! So, do the best you can and expect to patch it together in the pan. You will want to roll it out on a silicone rolling mat or in a pie bag, sprinkled with plenty of gluten-free flour. Like I said, good luck with this part.
7. For a top crust, I really recommend rolling it out and then using cookie cutters to make small pieces of crust to then lift onto the top of the filling, slightly overlapping them to form a fairly complete crust. This will prevent the heartache of a large top crust breaking into 15 pieces when you try to lift it intact onto the filling. Just sayin’!
8. Bake as your recipe calls for, making sure to bake until it’s golden & toasty.
9. Optional: feel free to add a glaze to the top crust (brush with milk) and sprinkle it with sugar for a lovely sparkle.
Baker’s Notes and Tips and Tricks
This crust recipe will probably take more time than you might expect because it's a challenge to roll out and get it into the pan. Allow yourself some extra time and a dose of patience -- it's worth it!
