Ever wonder what flour is best to make gluten free pastry dough? Or how to make a gluten free pie crust? This recipe will help you learn to ins and outs of gluten free pastry dough. Follow the video for a step by step guide as to how to make this recipe!
I went many years without having pie, quiche, tarts, you name it. If it had a pastry dough component, then, it was out. However, thanks to the many flour blends that now exist in the gluten free market, I have been able to test which ones are best for a traditional pastry dough recipe. Things I love about this recipe? There are few dry ingredients, the prep time is only a couple of minute, and the cook time is short as well. There is no cream cheese, no eggs, just three simple ingredients and voila, a delicious flakey gluten free pie crust or the base for a tart, or even pop tarts! This is such an easy gluten free recipe. Let’s dive in.
FAQ
What do I need for this recipe?
- Food Processor
- Parchment Paper
- Plastic wrap * or an eco friendly alternative
- pie pan or pie plate (or a tart pan)
- rolling pin
What happens if I do not have a food processor?
I find that this recipe comes together best in a food processor but you can try to make it by hand.
In order for this to be achieved, you need to make sure that neither the butter or the water are at room temperature.
Take a small bowl and place the gluten free flour blend into it along with the butter. Use a pastry cutter (or your hands) to get the butter to be the size of peas. If you feel that the butter is becoming too warm, place it back in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Add one tablespoon of the ice cold water or milk at a time and use your hands to bring it together. Once the dough comes together and stays together, it is done. You can try to roll out the dough immediately (go to the instructions section on how to make this), and or place it in the fridge after being wrapped in plastic wrap (or an eco friendly alternative) for an hour.
Which flour blends are best for making gluten free pastry dough?
Not all gluten free flours are created equal. I always advise this because it is true! Certain gluten free flour mixtures are better for certain things. For example, my favorite two flour blends are the King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure flour and Cup4Cup flour. Both have xanthan gum in them which helps with binding and I find them best suited for specific things.
After experimenting with several mixes, for my money, the best flour to use to make a gluten free pie crust or gluten free pastry dough is Cup4Cup. This will be an issue if you are dairy free as there is milk powder in the mixture, however, King Arthur’s is okay, just not as good in my opinion.
If you want to make the BEST gluten free pastry dough then please use Cup4Cup if you are able and avoid Bob’s red mill or King Arthur. I have tried this recipe with other flours and while they come out well, they just are not AS delicious as the Cup4Cup.
If you wish to buy a mix, then I will say, Bob’s red mill mix for pie crust is really nice, I just find that their 1:1 flour will not yield the results that you want.
Why does gluten free pastry go hard or crack?
If you have worked with regular flour or pie crust recipes before then this will be a bit of a change for you most likely. Gluten free pastry does not have the elasticity that traditional pastry will have. Typically if your dough is too hard or is cracking when you roll it out, it means that there is not enough moisture in the dough. This recipe calls for 4-5 tablespoons or ice water (or milk) and you should add them one at a time. You want to find the right balance in your dough. Not too dry but not too wet.
What do you need for this gluten free pastry dough recipe?
This recipe makes one single crust or enough for a tart. Double the recipe if you want double crust pie.
- 8 tablespoons cold butter, unsalted butter or salted butter is fine (frozen is good as well)
- 4-5 tablespoons ice cold water (or milk)
- 1 ½ cup gluten free Cup4Cup gluten free flour blend
- 1 egg, optional for egg wash if you are using the crust as a topping
- granulated sugar, optional (if you want to place some on top of a fruit pie)
How do you make it?
- In the bowl of you processor, place the dry ingredients. Cut the butter and place into the food processor. Pulse the butter and gluten free flour together until the butter is pea sized. Make sure that your butter is cold. If you feel that the butter is too warm, place back into the fridge for 30 minutes before completing step 2.
- Add one tablespoon of ice cold water (or super cold milk) into the food processor while it is running. The dough will start to come together and form a ball. That is how you know that the dough is done. You want it to be easy to roll and in order for it to be so, it needs to have enough moisture. Once it has formed the ball, take the dough out of the food processor.
- Now, this may be controversial but I roll the dough out immediately. I place it between two pieces of parchment paper and roll it out. I then lay the dough into a pie plate or tart pan and will place it into the fridge or freezer for an hour. About 45 minutes in, set your oven to 425°F.
- Depending on the recipe you are making, you may want to parbake the dough. To to this, take the crust from the freezer, and lay a piece of parchment paper or wax paper on top of it. You will need pie weights which can be beans, or beads, and you will then bake the dough for 20 minutes. When you remove it from the oven, it will be a nice golden color. This helps to start cooking the dough without burning it.
- Bake the crust then according to whatever recipe you are using.
*If you do not wish to make your recipe immediately, you can place the dough in the refrigerator overnight. That is no problem. You can even store it in the fridge up to 3 days. I personally would still suggest rolling the dough out before placing it in the refrigerator overnight but that is your call!
What can you use this recipe for?
I traditionally use this recipe to make a gluten free pie crust recipe. If you want to make a pastry recipe then that is definitely fine as well. It is meant for a gluten free pie crust recipe or a pastry recipe! If you like to make pot pies (specifically chicken pot pie or a vegetable pot pie – you can get my recipe here) then this is a perfect recipe.
I also love using it for the following:
Pear and Frangipane Tart
Tomato Tart
Orange Tart
Rhubarb Tart
Peach Tart
It is good to always have easy gluten free recipes on hand and once you nail down how to make a good gluten free pastry dough, you have half of the battle won!
Gluten Free Pastry Dough
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons cold butter unsalted butter or salted butter is fine (frozen is good as well)
- 4-5 tablespoons ice cold water or milk
- 1 ½ cup gluten free Cup4Cup gluten free flour blend
- 1 egg optional for egg wash if you are using the crust as a topping
- granulated sugar optional (if you want to place some on top of a fruit pie)
Instructions
- In the bowl of you processor, place the dry ingredients. Cut the butter and place into the food processor. Pulse the butter and gluten free flour together until the butter is pea sized. Make sure that your butter is cold. If you feel that the butter is too warm, place back into the fridge for 30 minutes before completing step 2.
- Add one tablespoon of ice cold water (or super cold milk) into the food processor while it is running. The dough will start to come together and form a ball. That is how you know that the dough is done. You want it to be easy to roll and in order for it to be so, it needs to have enough moisture. Once it has formed the ball, take the dough out of the food processor.
- Now, this may be controversial but I roll the dough out immediately. I place it between two pieces of parchment paper and roll it out. I then lay the dough into a pie plate or tart pan and will place it into the fridge or freezer for an hour. About 45 minutes in, set your oven to 425°F.
- Depending on the recipe you are making, you may want to parbake the dough. To to this, take the crust from the freezer, and lay a piece of parchment paper or wax paper on top of it. You will need pie weights which can be beans, or beads, and you will then bake the dough for 20 minutes. When you remove it from the oven, it will be a nice golden color. This helps to start cooking the dough without burning it.
- Bake the crust then according to whatever recipe you are using.
- *If you do not wish to make your recipe immediately, you can place the dough in the refrigerator overnight. That is no problem. You can even store it in the fridge up to 3 days. I personally would still suggest rolling the dough out before placing it in the refrigerator overnight but that is your call!
Nutrition
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