Basic Gluten Free Crust (pie & quiche)
Gluten free baking is not easy. But it’s not impossible either. Since gluten serves as a binder in baking, gluten free cooking usually takes on a more gritty, crumbly state. Many people will use gums as substitutes for the gluten (xanthan, guar, etc) but I like to avoid their use. And so one Saturday morning, I decided to try quiche. I figured the worst that could happen would be a crumbly crust that would fall apart completely – I knew I wouldn’t win any best looking pie awards but I decided to give it a shot.
The results were excellent: a tasty crust that was moistened by the quiche filling.
What to expect when making this gluten free crust:
the best…
-a buttery taste
-a completely gluten-free delicious alternative to your typical pie and quiche crust
the not-so-best…
-a slightly crumbly crust (unfortunately, I can’t seem to get away from this all-too-familiar characteristic – use a good spatula for cutting pieces and removing them from the dish)
-a slightly difficult to work with dough (be sure to follow the directions below)
Conclusion of the post: gluten free baking is very different from gluten baking. Your expectations should be different for gluten free goods that don’t use gums – the flavor will be good but the consistency (at least in my experience) is quite different from gluten foods. But for those wanting to cut back on gluten or for those that need to eliminate gluten from their cooking, this is a great and very tasty alternative.
Anyone have any experiences to share in regards to gluten-free baking? What’s your favorite crust recipe?
GLUTEN FREE CRUST RECIPE (USE FOR PIES OR QUICHE)
1 1/4 cup brown rice flour
1 T cornstarch
3 T AP Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour
7-8 T butter, cold
1 T ground flaxseed mixed with 2 T water
3 T ice water
Preheat oven to 425F.
Mix rice flour, cornstarch, AP flour together in a bowl. Cut in butter with your hands.
In a separate dish, mix ground flaxseed with water. Allow to sit for a few minutes.
Once flaxseed absorbs water, add to flour mixture. Use the same technique you would use with cutting in butter. Be sure to incorporate into flour mixture thoroughly.
Once mixture resembles coarse meal, add in water one tablespoon at a time and begin to gather mixture with your hands. Form into a ball and place on counter. If dough seems very soft and a bit too moist, place in freezer for about 15 minutes.
The easiest way to roll the dough out is to place it between two pieces of plastic wrap. Roll it out to fit a 9.5″ pie dish then carefully transfer to the freezer and freeze for about 10 minutes. Remove from the freezer and remove the top layer of plastic wrap. Flip over carefully on to the pie dish and then peel the last piece of plastic wrap off. Carefully use your fingers to press dough down into the pie dish. If dough ever tears apart, just use your fingers to piece back together and re-seam.
Crimp edges and fork bottom.
Freeze for 10 minutes. Remove from freezer and place in oven.
Bake for 15 minutes and remove. Use for any quiche or pie crust recipe.
