This recipe makes two thin crusts. We include this recipe for anyone who is gluten free or would like to try a highly tested and successful gluten free pie crust. The results are impressive, and most people won’t even know it’s gluten free. If gluten free isn’t your notion of a delicious pie crust, go ahead and choose an all-purpose wheat flour crust of your liking for any recipe we offer that uses pie dough. Instructions are thorough and intended to assist all bakers. Once made you’ll realize the simplicity of this these instructions, and it will become a reliable go-to recipe.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 cup sorghum flour
  • 1/3 cup arrowroot flour
  • 1/3 cup millet or kamut flour if tolerated
  • 1/3 cup white rice flour
  • 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, refrigerated
  • 2 tablespoons soft butter
  • 1, 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons cold water
  • NOTE: for a single crust, reduce 1/3 cup measurements to 1/4 and reduce butter to 8 tablespoons

METHOD

Make the Pie Dough

  1. In a mixing bowl, measure and whisk all dry ingredients well. Set aside
  2. Measure apple cider vinegar and water in a small bowl
  3. Cut a cube of refrigerated butter into 8 pieces
  4. Set aside 2 tablespoons soft butter

Two methods for cutting butter into dry ingredients

  • Using a flat, large hole cheese grater, grate refrigerated butter directly over dry ingredients, and using a pastry blender, mix thoroughly with sweeping motions to produce fine crumbs.
  • Alternately, and our favorite, place dry ingredients into a food processor and add cold and soft butter, then pulse until butter all lumps are fully incorporated into fine crumbs. The addition of soft butter will add moisture to the mixture. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl.

Blend dry and liquid ingredients

  1. Drizzle water and vinegar mixture over the dough.
  2. Using a fork, quickly stir to distribute liquid evenly into dry ingredients until the dough begins sticking together.
  3. With a clean hand continue mixing by swirling dough lightly until all liquid has been absorbed and the dough comes together from the sides of the bowl. No extra liquid should be required. If  you feel it is, do so sparingly, 1 teaspoon at a time

NOTE: The entire process of blending liquids to dough should not take more than a couple minutes.

PREPARE THE CRUST

  1. Place a piece of 12” wide plastic wrap, or wider, on a counter, cutting it long enough to roll dough out to fit your pie pan.
  2. Place dough in the center of the plastic sheet and flatten it into a circular disk, about 5-6” across.
  3. Place a second piece of plastic wrap on top. Parchment paper dusted with arrowroot can be used for layers, but you won’t be able to see what you’re doing.
  4. Roll dough from the middle out in all directions with equal pressure until you have a 12” or larger circular shape. Crust will be thin.
  5. The top plastic wrap edges may fold under a bit when rolling. Simply tug the top plastic sheet gently to straighten out any edges and continue rolling until the surface is even all around
  6. Carefully pull the top plastic wrap off the dough and set that aside. If the dough consistency was correct, the plastic sheet should come up easily. If it sticks, dip fingers in tapioca or arrowroot to help separate the plastic from the dough.
  7. Place your hand under the dough and bottom plastic sheet. Raise the palm of your hand off the counter making a rounded mound in the center. Then in one sweeping motion, invert a pie pan onto the mound and return the pan upright as the dough falls into place.
  8. Adjust the dough as necessary in the pan and gently press the plastic and dough into the corners.
  9. Carefully pull the plastic wrap off, again using fingers dipped in tapioca or arrowroot if the plastic doesn't come off clean.
  10. Cut any dough pieces that extend to far beyond the rim of the pie pan, and patch any edges that are short, if necessary.
  11. Flute or crimp the edges for a single crust. Refrigerate loosely covered for 10-20 minutes, or up to 4 hours, then add filling and bake according to recipe directions.
  12. If using an upper crust, leave the edge loose on the bottom crust so it can be connected to the top crust just before baking.
  13. Follow instructions above for rolling the upper crust. Once rolled, place the dough flat in the refrigerator with the plastic wrap in place, top and bottom. 

BAKE

  1. Pre-heat oven prior to assembling pie according to the recipe you are using.
  2. Pull top and bottom crusts from refrigerator and allow them to soften just enough for ease of fluting the edges.
  3. Fill the bottom crust with filling.
  4. Pull plastic sheet off the top crust and place dough side down gently over filling.
  5. Carefully pull the remaining plastic sheet off the top.
  6. Cut any excess dough from edges of the pan and connect crust with a flute or edging of your choice.
  7. Bake according to recipe directions.

OPTIONAL Lattice effect

Lattice crusts work very nicely for gluten free pies. After rolling, allow the top crust to set up in the refrigerator. Bring to the counter and pull back the top plastic sheet. Carefully cut 1” strips avoiding cutting through the bottom plastic wrap. This is best done with a long bladed knife that you simply press down on the dough in a rolling action rather than slicing. Return the lattice covered top and bottom to the refrigerator if not baking right away. After the filling has been placed in the bottom crust, lay lattice strips in one direction and then across in the other direction. A thin frosting spatula is helpful to ease the strips up in one piece. We don’t weave strips as gluten free dough does not have the elasticity of wheat and the strips don’t hold together well under manipulation. If they break, simply connect broken edges.

OPTIONAL - Pre-Baked Crust

Pre-baked pie crust is helpful for recipes with a lot of liquid like a chicken pot pie. Your recipe generally will give a recommendation whether to pre-bake or not.

  1. Set the oven to 375 degrees F
  2. Remove a prepared crust from the refrigerator and prick the bottom with a fork.
  3. Cut a piece of parchment in a circle larger than the pan and line the pan bottom and sides.
  4. Add a layer of beans, pie weights, or whatever you have in the kitchen that fits relatively well into the pan. This keeps the crust from bubbling up while baking.
  5. Bake 15 minutes.
  6. Remove weights and parchment.
  7. Bake another 5-10 minutes until pie is lightly golden and bottom of crust is fairly firm.
  8. Cool pie crust completely before filling.
  9. Bake pie as directed.