Gluten Free Pie Crust

As we’ve mentioned now on several occasions, we both have family members that have needed to adhere to a gluten free diet for health reasons…maybe you do too.  Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving there will be, amongst many yummy things, pie consumed in most households.  So in case you are needing a good recipe for a gluten free pie crust that doesn’t taste like cardboard, we have one to share with you today:-)  There has been a bit of trial and error to make this crust one that even those who aren’t avoiding gluten would be happy to eat.  Enjoy and by all means…give thanks!

Flaky Gluten-Free Pie Crust

1/2 cup brown rice flour**
1/2 cup white rice flour**
1/2 cup tapioca flour**
1/2 cup sweet white rice* flour (this is widely available in Asian markets and at many supermarket chain stores as well)
1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoons sugar
10 tablespoons cold butter or 1 stick of butter and 2 tablespoons shortening or cold coconut oil
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons vodka
1/4 cup or enough ice water to make dough stick together

Mix all the flours with the salt and sugar and anthem gum until well combined.  By hand with a pastry blender, or in a food processor, cut in the cold butter to the flour mixture until the mixture resembles very coarse sand.

Beat the egg with the vodka and add to flour/butter mixture.  Stir to moisten then begin adding ice water 1 tablespoon at a time just until the dough comes together and is moist enough to form it into a ball.  Wrap the dough in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.  Do not skip this step.

Roll out the dough on a floured board with a floured rolling pin.  Keep adding small amounts of flour as you roll if the dough becomes sticky.  If making a single pie, once dough is rolled into a circle appropriate for the size of your pie dish, roll the dough carefully over the rolling pin and place it in the baking dish.

An alternative method for doing this is to roll out the dough between 2 large pieces of waxed paper or 2 pieces of plastic wrap.  Remove one piece and flip the dough into the pie dish, then peel away the other piece of paper.  Crimp the edges of the pie before adding filling.

If you are making tarts, cut circles larger than the opening of your muffin tin.  Spray the muffin pan with cooking spray or coconut oil, then place each circle of dough in the openings and press into the bottom and sides to make it fit.

Spoon filling into crust and bake in a 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes or as directed.

* In the matter of sweet white rice flour – if you can not find it, you can try substituting potato flour (not starch) or try cornstarch.

**If any or most these flour ingredients are hard to come by, try using an all purpose gluten free flour, and if possible, one that lists on its ingredients sweet white rice flour.