Gluten Free Pie Dough
Photo by Mark Weinberg
MAKES
One 9 inch / 23 cm pie crust
TAKES
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: n/a
Total: 15 minutes
✻ ABOUT THIS RECIPE
When I published The Book on Pie, it was super important to me to have a good gluten-free pie dough recipe, because so many pie fillings are already naturally gluten-free. Since the publication of the book in 2020, I’ve made one change to my tried and true gluten-free recipe to improve the texture. Where my regular All Buttah dough runs the risk of being tough if handled or baked improperly, gluten-free crusts have a tendency to lean towards crumbliness instead of tender flakiness. You can use your favorite store-bought gluten free flour - my favorite is Cup4Cup brand. Many gluten free flours (including my fave) already include xanthan gum, but adding more is especially helpful for achieving a perfect pie crust texture. For more advice about making the perfect gluten free pie dough, be sure to check out the full video on this recipe!
INGREDIENTS
200 g / 1 ½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour (I prefer Cup4Cup brand)
1 g / ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
1 g / ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
113 g / ½ cup cold unsalted butter (see Note)
Make This Recipe With Me:
METHOD
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Add the cubed butter, tossing the cubes through the flour until each individual piece is well coated. ‘Cut’ the butter into the flour by pressing the pieces between your fingers, flattening the cubes into big shards. As you work, continue to toss the butter through the flour, recoating the shingled pieces.
2. Continue cutting the butter into the flour just until the pieces are ranging in size from walnut halves to peas. Take care that the pieces are as flat as possible - shards of butter work better than pellets of butter!
3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add the amount of ice water listed in the recipe to the well, but have more on hand. Use a tossing motion with your hands to start to mix the two together (this begins to combine them without creating too much gluten). As it begins to become hydrated, you can start to use more of a kneading motion – but don’t overdo it: this will make the dough tough. Add more water, about 15 g / 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough is properly hydrated: it should be uniformly combined and hold together easily, but it won’t look totally smooth. Dough that is too dry may have sort of a “dusty” appearance, or pockets of un-hydrated flour. It will not hold together and will appear crumbly. Dough that is too wet will feel sticky or tacky to the touch, and is often smoother and/or lighter in color.
4. Form the dough into an even disk (or into another shape if directed by the recipe – or if you are multiplying the recipe to make multiple crusts, divide the dough appropriately). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes-1 hour.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about ½ inch/1 cm thick (the exact shape and size doesn’t matter here, just the thickness). Brush away any excess flour from the surface of the dough, and fold it in half horizontally. Then, fold the dough in half again (you’ve now folded it into quarters).
6. If the dough feels sticky or soft to the touch, re-wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for 30 minutes before proceeding. If it doesn’t, repeat step 5.
7. Tuck the ends of your folded dough under itself to create a round disk of dough. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days before using.
NOTES
To Roll Out the Dough: Lightly dust a work surface with flour, and lightly dust a rolling pin, if desired. Roll out the dough to about ¼ inch / 6 mm thick, rotating it as you work to help prevent it from sticking. To transfer the dough to the pan, gently roll it up, wrapping it around the pin, then unfurl it into the pie plate.
To Prepare the Edge for Crimping: On a single crust pie, use scissors to trim away the excess dough, leaving about ½ inch / 1 cm excess all the way around the outside edge of the pie plate. Tuck this excess dough under, pressing gently to make it flush with the edge of the pie plate. On a double crust pie, gently press the top and bottom crust together to flatten the dough slightly, then trim the excess and tuck under ss directed for a single crust pie.
To Par-Bake the Dough: (To partially bake the crust, before filling and baking again - best for single crust pies.) Dock the crimped single crust pie dough with a fork and chill well (at least 30 minutes). Cut a square of parchment paper slightly larger than the diameter of a pie plate, and press it into the base of the pie plate. Fill with pie weights to the top inner rim of the pie plate. Bake in a 425°F / 220°C oven until the edges begin to lightly brown, 15-17 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and pie weights, and return to the oven until the lower portion of the crust appears dry and set, 2-3 minutes more. Cool completely before filling.
To Blind-Bake the Dough: (To fully bake the crust, prior to filling with a filling that doesn’t require baking - best for cream and cold-set pies.) Follow the instructions for par-baking, but bake until it is fully golden brown. After removing the pie weights, bake for 7-10 minutes. Cool completely before filling.
To make a gluten free + dairy free / vegan pie dough, substitute the butter for cold cubed shortening, as directed in my Dairy Free / Vegan Pie Dough recipe.
To make your own gluten-free flour blend, whisk together the following ingredients until well combined: Makes 215 g / 1 ½ cups
71 g / ½ cup white rice flour
57 g / ½ cup tapioca flour
42 g / ½ cup cornstarch
19 g / 2 tablespoons potato starch
21 g / ¼ cup nonfat dry milk
4 g / 1 ¾ teaspoons xanthan gum
✻ HAVE YOU BAKED IT?
Tag @emcdowell on Instagram or use #happybaking. I’d love to see your bakes!
