Gluten Free Pie Crust

RECIPE TAKEN FROM HERE.

NOTE:  IT IS VERY VERY IMPORTANT to read "tips for making the perfect crust" before actually doing it.  It helps TREMENDOUSLY!

Here are my tips for making the perfect gluten free pie crust:

1. Cold, cold, cold! Get your ingredients cold before using them. Cut up your butter or shortening into small pieces and pop it in the freezer for 15 to 30 minutes before starting your pastry. Put ice cubes in your water for a good 10 minutes before using it to really chill it down.

2. Use a food processor. The speed with which the food processor can combine the ingredients and cut in your butter or shortening is so much faster than if you do it by hand and results in a flakier crust. Of course if you don’t have a food processor, just cut the shortening or butter in by hand but work quickly and don’t over do it. Bigger pieces of butter or shortening are not only OK, but preferred.

3. Be skimpy on the water. The biggest mistake most people make in preparing pie crusts (whether it be gluten-free or not) is adding too much water. Add just enough so that the ingredients hold together when squeezed in your hand. Too much water will result in a tough crust.

4. Give it a rest! Let your pie crust dough rest for at least an hour before rolling. Many people think this is to let the gluten rest, which would make no sense in a gluten-free recipe, but in truth what you are doing is letting the moisture distribute evenly. Never skip the resting period.

5. Extrude – don’t roll. Gluten-free pie crust is more fragile than regular pie crust as it lacks the sticking power of the gluten. It is much easier to employ the “extrusion method”. Simply place your dough on a piece of wax paper that is dusted lightly with gluten-free flour, then sprinkle a little more flour on the dough and top with another piece of wax paper and roll it out. This will help keep your crust in one piece. Using the wax paper also helps in transferring the dough to the pie plate. If a piece falls off or breaks, just pinch it back together, don’t be afraid to show your pie crust who’s boss.

6. Use great ingredients. The sum of the parts will only be as good as what you put in it. Start with a good, pastry quality all purpose gluten-free flour blend that is not grainy or cardboard tasting.   For a perfect-just-like-Grandma-used-to-make pie crust you need a flour blend that has a high starch content and some xanthan gum.  You need the crust to be flaky but still stick together.  If you don’t have a brand you like then make your own using either super fine or Asian flours, they are milled much more finely than most. Also use the best quality butter  you can get buy and always use either kosher or fine sea salt.  If you can not have dairy then substitute the butter with all vegetable solid shortening.  In my opinion, the butter flavored shortenings do not produce as good a flavor as the regular, non-flavored.  And actually I think that using Crisco results in the best tasting, dairy free pie crust but if you just can’t get on board with Crisco, I understand.  

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Gluten Free Perfect Pie Crust Recipe

Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter or solid, all vegetable non-dairy shortening
2 to 4 tablespoons cold water
*1¼ cups All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Blend plus more for rolling

1/2 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
2 tablespoons sugar **OMIT it making a non-dessert, like chicken pot pie

MISTY'S NOTE:  If wanting to make a ROSEMARY crust, simply add about 1 tbsp of crushed, dried rosemary.

* you can make your own homemade version of a flour blend by combining 3/4 cup super fine white rice flour with 1/4 cup potato starch (not potato flour), 1/4 cup sweet rice flour and 1/4 cup tapioca starch (use Asian tapioca to avoid an “off” taste to the tapioca) and 1 teaspoon xanthan gum.  Whisk until fully combined.  This will give you enough for the recipe plus rolling.

Directions

Cut butter into ½ inch pieces and place it the freezer for 15 – 30 minutes.

Add some ice cubes to the water and let it get ice cold while preparing the dry ingredients.

Combine the flour blend, salt and sugar (if using) in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 5 -6 times to combine. Add the butter and pulse 6 -8 times or until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea size pieces of butter.

With processor running, add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until the mixture just barely starts to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough together and it holds then you have enough water, if not add more a little at a time. You do not want to add any more water than is absolutely necessary.

Remove the dough from the machine and form into a disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour or for as long as 2 -3 days.  Since the dough is so crumbly and does not hold together at this point, I find it easier (and far less messy) to pour the mixture into a large food storage bag and form it into a disk using the bag to help. Then just close up the bag and put it in the fridge. Remove dough from fridge 5 minutes before rolling.

MISTY'S NOTE:  When you remove from the frig, you will look at the ball and think, "How in the world will this roll out?"  It's hard and crumbly, but trust me...if you are patient it really does work.  It doesn't roll out like normal dough...you have to work w/ it.  I kind of smashed mine (w/ the rolling pin) and then rolled.  I pinched it, I smashed it some more, rolled again, etc until within a few minutes I had a nice round piece of crust.  I removed the top layer of wax paper, carried it over to my pie pan, and gently "flipped" the crust upside down, layed it on top of my filling and then pinched the sides.  It still broke a little and crumbled, but I just pinched it back together.  

To roll the dough, lay a piece of waxed paper on a work surface and sprinkle with some flour blend. Lay the chilled disk on the floured paper, sprinkle with some more flour and lay on another piece of waxed paper. "Roll" the dough into a circle approximately 12 inches wide. Remove the top sheet of waxed paper and carefully transfer into a 9 inch pie plate and remove the waxed paper. Push the dough very gently down so it lines the bottom and sides of the pie plate. If the dough splits or breaks apart just push it back together.

- See more at: http://simplygluten-free.com/blog/2011/10/perfect-gluten-free-pie-crust-recipe.html#sthash.X6QNbSji.dpuf