Gluten-Free Pie Crust

If you dig back into the depths of my archives, you’ll find a couple of pie crust recipes.  None were mine, they were just ones that I had used.  You see, in the couple of years before my diagnosis, I had become a pie girl.  My lovely aunt taught me the proper way to make a pie crust, and since I have constantly cold hands (which baking is the only place where that is an advantage!), I loved being able to throw a crust together.  The filling wasn’t always glamorous.  There were many packaged pie fillings, often lemon meringue, with the occasional key lime and pumpkin of course in the fall.  It was always something I loved. Therefore, it became something I missed.

When it came to playing with my own crusts, I had one.  It was great raw.  A fantastic flavour.  But when baked, it was a little tough and had that rice flour texture.  So I played some more.  This one is better.  Flakey, yummy, and how a pie crust should be.  It did shrink a tad, but hey, I didn’t hear any complaints.  In fact, for the most part, I didn’t hear a thing besides the tapping of forks on the plate and muted sound of teeth pulverizing pie.  That’s when silence is good.

Don’t worry though, the pie fillings that led to the fork tapping and teeth touching will be up on here soon.  But first, I present my pie crust.

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

Gluten-Free Pie Crust
An original recipe by Lauren of Celiac Teen
Makes two single-crust 9-inch pie crusts, or 1 9-inch double crust.
Ingredients
1/2 cup tapioca starch/flour
1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 1/4 sticks salted butter (1/2 cup and 2 tbsp), cubed and cold
cold water

Steps

One to two tablespoons at a time, add in the water, until the mixture just comes together and forms a ball.  Mine needed about 1/4 cup.

Either refrigerate for a little while or use immediately.  If you refrigerate it, it may be tough when it comes out and may have to thaw depending on how warm your kitchen it is.  You want to make sure the butter stays cold.  I also had to knead it a little for it to be soft enough to roll out.

Divide the dough into two balls and roll each out on a lightly sweet rice floured silpat or parchment paper.  Place into your pie plate and form the edges as desired.

If your recipe calls for a pre-baked pie crust,  prick the crust with a fork on bottom and sides prior to baking.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned.