Pie Crust Trial: Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free

I have always been daunted by pie crusts. It’s probably why I rarely make pies. But when we had a bunch of leftovers from Thanksgiving, I knew I wanted to make a pot pie out of it. But this time around, I didn’t have a mix in my pantry for the crust. So I decided to try out the recipe from Cooking for Isaiah.

The Changes

The recipe was already Joseph-safe, but I found myself adapting Nardone’s process.

The Method

In a large bowl, combine flour, xanthan gum, and salt. Using a food processor, pastry cutter, or two knives, cut in shortening until the dough forms coarse crumbs.

Add in enough water that the dough comes together. Split it into two parts. Place each part between two sheets of wax/parchment paper and roll flat. Nardone says to then freeze the dough for 15 minutes until it became firm. I think that just made my dough more brittle, since I used much less water than she did.

After pulling it out of the freezer

Line a 9″ pie plate with one dough round. Use the second round for a second pie, or to top the first pie. A cautionary note on my results: if baking a double crusted pie, do not pre-bake the bottom half first. The top half will then not be able to be crimped to the bottom.

not the best looking pie…

Pie Crust

Adapted from Cooking for Isaiah

Gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups King Arthur Gluten-Free Multipurpose Flour*
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon xanthan gum
• 1 1/3 cups shortening
• 2-4 Tablespoons ice water

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and xanthan gum. Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in enough water that it starts to comes together.

Divide into two equal pieces. Roll each piece flat between two pieces of wax/parchment paper. Follow the recipe for filling and bake times.

Makes 2 single-crust or 1 double-crust pies.

*To make your own flour mix, follow these instructions from King Arthur: Whisk together 6 cups (32 ounces) King Arthur stabilized brown rice flour; 2 cups (10 3/4 ounces) potato starch; and 1 cup (4 ounces) tapioca flour or tapioca starch. Store airtight at room temperature.

What I Thought

This pie crust had a nice crisp texture to it. My  husband said he quite liked it. The crust was the first thing to go on Joseph’s and his sister’s plates. I’d do it again, though I’ll play with it to make sure I have a good method down to prevent cracks in the future.