Success With Pastry Dough

[Diosa]

I am totally happy!! Today I made an attempt at gluten free pastry dough to make Cornish pasties (sort of like pot pies, but not in a pot/tin and not nearly as gooey) This was even more of an adventure since I also can't use rice nor soy flour as I'm allergic to both. I tried duplicating some recipes I've heard about/saw online and met with less-than-stellar results. As in no way in h*** would it hold together, let alone roll out. So I chucked those out the window and just went with total karmic cooking (the instinctual level of cooking) and the dough turned out great! And so did the pasties. These were beef, potato, and onion with a bit of Dijon mustard, a bit of freshly grated horseradish, some homemade stock and a bit of red wine. YUM!!

Just had to share!

[Rusla]

Now will you share the recipe with us, please.

[Diosa]

Now will you share the recipe with us, please.

I used this dough for the pasties (recipe to follow) but it should work for pies and such I would think...

Gluten Free Cornish Pasties

For the pastry:

2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free All-purpose flour as I’m about out of my homemade blend)

1 tsp ground mustard seeds (this is a must)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp Guar gum

2 tsp Xantham gum

4 Tbsp crisco butter flavoured shortening

5 Tbsp dairy free margarine (or you could use all shortening so long as it equals 9 Tbsp or 120g)

1 egg

water

For the filling. This is a more traditional recipe, but feel free to use whatever you like:

250g (or about 8 oz) steak, finely chopped

3 small old potatoes peeled and finely chopped

1 medium (or 1/2 large) onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (minus the big stems)

1/4 cup beef or chicken stock (or a combo of stock and wine, which I prefer)

pepper and salt to taste

1 tsp English mustard (I prefer Dijon, but stone ground, brown or even yellow would work)

1 tsp grated horseradish (I used to use prepared horseradish but have yet to find it here. I just bought a root and grated it myself)

beaten egg for glazing/sealing

Preheat oven to 210 C/425 F (gas mark 6 or so). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.

Place flour, xantham gum, guar gum, baking soda and mustard in food process or stand mixer (I prefer my mixer, but this can easily be done by hand mixer, pastry cutter or by hand) and add shortening and margarine. Process or mix til mixture is fine and crumbly. Add egg and mix until it starts coming together. Add lukewarm water until it starts to ball up. Take out of food processor or out of the mixing bowl and give it a few good kneads to make sure it’s a good consistency and isn’t too sticky. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour to an hour if possible.

In the meantime, mix up all the ingredients for the filling. Make sure that the filling is well coated with the horseradish, mustard and the liquid.

Roll pastry between two pieces of waxpaper to about 3mm thickness (about an 1/4” or so). Make the dough circular by using a bowl or a saucer. It should be about 16 cm (or about 6") in diameter. Place some of the filling int the middle of the circle. You end up leaving about 1 1/2” to the edge of the circle. Brush some of the beaten egg around the exposed edges of the circle. Gently bring the sides together to form a half circle with the seam facing up. Pich the edges to form little frills if desired. Otherwise, just make sure it’s sealed. Move to the baking sheet and brush with more of the egg wash. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Place in oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 180 C/ 350 F (gas mark 4) and bake another 20 minutes or until golden brown and yummy.

If you are allergic to eggs, the egg replacer should work.

[Rusla]

That is terrific, thank you!

Are the mustard seeds black?

[Diosa]

Mine aren't. They are yellow. I grind them in my old coffee grinder (now a spice mill).

[mamaw]

WOW, instead of sharing the recipe perhaps you should put them on the market to sell ready made!!!!!! I will be your first customer.....After you get your business going strong would you try to make the long nut and poppy seed rolls for me?????? Or can I come to live at your house????

I wish I had time to experiment with some good foods --- until then I will order from you...

thanks--------------------------- you have talent

mamaw

[cgilsing]

I will have to try that! I'm on a bad cooking streak lately I just did an eggroll wrapper experiment that ended very very badly (if you should happen to come across the magic recipe for those little treats please please let me know!!) In the mean time some pastry dough that holds together sounds like just the thing to lift my spirits! Thanks!

[munchkinette]

Oo, I'm gonna have to try this. My friend is making St. Pat's dinner and I need to bring something since she's serving pot pie among other things.

[Diosa]

I will have to try that! I'm on a bad cooking streak lately I just did an eggroll wrapper experiment that ended very very badly (if you should happen to come across the magic recipe for those little treats please please let me know!!) In the mean time some pastry dough that holds together sounds like just the thing to lift my spirits! Thanks!

What did you try for eggroll wrappers flour-wise? Did they just not hold together?

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com. Looks like with a bit of tweaking this would work.

INGREDIENTS:

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup cold water

1/4 teaspoon salt

7/8 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons peanut oil

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, cold water and salt. Mix in all-purpose flour 1/3 at a time. Allow the mixture to stand 15 minutes at room temperature.

Heat a wok over high heat. Remove from heat and thinly coat with 1 tablespoon peanut oil. Reduce heat to low. While wok is still warm, pour 1/4 of the egg mixture in an approximately 8 inch circle. Rotate wok quickly to spread an even layer of batter. Cook over low heat 45 seconds to 1 minute, until bottom is golden brown and edges begin to curl. Carefully remove from heat and place on a paper towel, golden brown side down.

Repeat the wok procedure with remaining batter, 1/4 at a time. Rub wok with remaining tablespoon of peanut oil after the second wrapper has been made.

Allow the wrappers to cool completely. Cut wrappers in half to use for egg rolls.

[cgilsing]

It was a really simple recipe. I used the Bob's Red Mill baking flour. I was supposed to roll it out paper thin on wax paper, cut it into 9" squares and then roll up with filling in them. They just fell apart the minute I tried to peel them off the paper, much less roll them up! The only way I could get them to stay together was to not roll them so thin, but then they were just too thick. All in all a disaster. That recipe didn't call for an egg though. I'm sure that would help a lot with elasticity in the dough, plus I thought maybe adding some xantham gum might help....what do you think? I'll give your recipe a try....to be honest it looks a whole lot better than the one I had! Thanks!

[Diosa]

It was a really simple recipe. I used the Bob's Red Mill baking flour. I was supposed to roll it out paper thin on wax paper, cut it into 9" squares and then roll up with filling in them. They just fell apart the minute I tried to peel them off the paper, much less roll them up! The only way I could get them to stay together was to not roll them so thin, but then they were just too thick. All in all a disaster. That recipe didn't call for an egg though. I'm sure that would help a lot with elasticity in the dough, plus I thought maybe adding some xantham gum might help....what do you think? I'll give your recipe a try....to be honest it looks a whole lot better than the one I had! Thanks!

You could try flouring the wax paper. Or even oiling it by rubbing a lightly oiled aper towel (or if you are like me, you keep the margarine wrappers for light oil jobs. )That might help get them back off, or use the paper itself to roll it? as in start rlling it with the paper then peel the paper back, start again, peel back, and just do it gradually?

I would definitely try the egg and some xantham gum. It really helps make the dough stick together and gives it some of the elasticity that it needs.

WOW, instead of sharing the recipe perhaps you should put them on the market to sell ready made!!!!!! I will be your first customer.....After you get your business going strong would you try to make the long nut and poppy seed rolls for me?????? Or can I come to live at your house????

I wish I had time to experiment with some good foods --- until then I will order from you...

thanks--------------------------- you have talent

mamaw

*blush* Thank you s o much for the vote of confidence.

I would give the poppy seed rolls a try, but the recipe I found had walnuts (?) in it? Are they supposed to? The rest of it sounds easy enough from what I've found online but i didn't know whether the nuts in it was right or not. What is your memory of poppy seed rolls and long nut rolls? I would definitely be willing to try to come up with something

[mamaw]

nut roll and poppy seed rolls............................

The nut rolls I'm thinking of are the long rolls served at the holidays, I used to put ground walnuts in mine and for the poppy seed roll I used the Baker's poppy filling. My wheat recipe calls for sour cream, yeast, in the dough.I can e-mail you the recipe if you like. I used to make these and sell them they were so good. I hate to waste as my deceased german father would frown upon wasting anything so when I make a flop I feel terrible. He used to remind me of straving people in the world --- DON'T Waste!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I now have a complex ...........

I still think you should start a business........I'm near Pittsburgh, Pa so these are on most folks' tables at the holidays.

mamaw ( sande)

[mouse]

I agree that she should sell them. Especially to some of the people here that don't have the energy to make wonderful things like the Cornish Pasties. My mouth is watering, YUM.

When I make pizza pockets (got the recipe from someone here), I use parchment cooking paper. It comes real easy off of that. I think that anytime my dough (what little I do) is sticky, this is a definate must.

[mamaw]

Armetta

would you post the pizza pocket recipe for us...... sounds good

thanks

mamaw

To Diosa

well I got you two customers so far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do you want my mailing address--- I'll even be your guiney pig!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mamaw

[Diosa]

Armetta

would you post the pizza pocket recipe for us...... sounds good

thanks

mamaw

To Diosa

well I got you two customers so far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do you want my mailing address--- I'll even be your guiney pig!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mamaw

Definitely send me those nut roll and poppy seed recipes and let me see what I can do with them. Those you might have to be the guinea pig for, as I'm allergic to nuts. (at least as far as I know. Getting the full on allergy testing soon for the non-food stuff mostly)

I'm wanting to try a variation and see how they freeze. If it works well, I may very well see if you guys are still interested and mail them out.

[acousticmom]

Beth--

Thanks a million for posting the pasty recipe! It's been way too long since I've had a good one! I never would have thought to try a gluten-free version, but now I will.

Carol

former Yooper (U.P. Michigan, where pasties are a way of life)

gluten-free since 1/06

[Lollie]

I don't know what I did wrong! My pasties were a little.....pasty!

The crust was greasy and really crumbly-but mostly greasy. I went back over the steps and I did it......

Do you have any suggestions on what I may have done wrong?

The filling was great!

Lollie

[mamaw]

TO Diosa

I pm you the walnut and poppy seed roll recipe. Just want to make sure you received it????

mamaw

[Diosa]

I don't know what I did wrong! My pasties were a little.....pasty!

The crust was greasy and really crumbly-but mostly greasy. I went back over the steps and I did it......

Do you have any suggestions on what I may have done wrong?

The filling was great!

Lollie

Hmmm... Not really.. You could try playing with the portions of Crisco to margarine. I've done all margarine before and that always did well. The Crisco made it a bit flakier than the straight margarine, as the margarine only does make more moist and more of a shell, but less authentic tasting to my DH. That would be my thoughts? Let me know how it goes.

[Katydid]

Hi there to all you pastry chefs:

This looks like the perfect place to ask my question. I have been trying for some time, unsucessfully I might add, to make puff pastry...you know, the kind that has flaky layers -like in a turnover, etc.. I make a pretty good piecrust, very flaky, tender and all; but I just cannot master the puff pastry.

I spent a whole Saturday working on it and reading step-by-step and word-for-word from "The Joy of Cooking" and substituting the flour called for with Bette Hagman's Featherweight Flour Blend Recipe and adding some Xanthum Gum. The instructions in the cookbook actually tell you exactly how to roll the dough.....such as roll out and fold like a letter with open side towards you, then roll again, then fold like your reading a book, then roll again...and on and on. Each time you complete a set of these "folds and rolls" its called a turn, and in between turns you chill the dough for an hour or two. That's why it takes all day. Anyway, when the book said I was finally ready to bake my puff pastry, I was so excited. But the finished product was no different than my regular pie crust....very edible, but definitelly not puff pastry.

I am wondering if the absence of the gluten makes it impossible to develop those flaky layers that puff pastry is known for.

Can anyone help me please? I absolutely love to bake and really want to accomplish this.

Thanks for any input.

Kay

[mart]

I'm at work late and this post is making me very hungry Anyway, I wish I could make this dish, but I'm not the most talented of cooks (quite lazy too). It sounds so good that I might attempt to try it, though. A few months back, we ordered a pie crust mix from the Gluten Free Pantry. Haven't tried it because I'm still trying to recover from all of the failed breads we've tried in our bread maker. I'm really traumatized with gluten-free bread products. Has anyone tried this pie crust mix?

[I-am-silly-yak]

I used this dough for the pasties (recipe to follow) but it should work for pies and such I would think...

Gluten Free Cornish Pasties

For the pastry:

2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free All-purpose flour as I’m about out of my homemade blend)

1 tsp ground mustard seeds (this is a must)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp Guar gum

2 tsp Xantham gum

4 Tbsp crisco butter flavoured shortening

5 Tbsp dairy free margarine (or you could use all shortening so long as it equals 9 Tbsp or 120g)

1 egg

water

For the filling. This is a more traditional recipe, but feel free to use whatever you like:

250g (or about 8 oz) steak, finely chopped

3 small old potatoes peeled and finely chopped

1 medium (or 1/2 large) onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (minus the big stems)

1/4 cup beef or chicken stock (or a combo of stock and wine, which I prefer)

pepper and salt to taste

1 tsp English mustard (I prefer Dijon, but stone ground, brown or even yellow would work)

1 tsp grated horseradish (I used to use prepared horseradish but have yet to find it here. I just bought a root and grated it myself)

beaten egg for glazing/sealing

Preheat oven to 210 C/425 F (gas mark 6 or so). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.

Place flour, xantham gum, guar gum, baking soda and mustard in food process or stand mixer (I prefer my mixer, but this can easily be done by hand mixer, pastry cutter or by hand) and add shortening and margarine. Process or mix til mixture is fine and crumbly. Add egg and mix until it starts coming together. Add lukewarm water until it starts to ball up. Take out of food processor or out of the mixing bowl and give it a few good kneads to make sure it’s a good consistency and isn’t too sticky. Refrigerate for 1/2 hour to an hour if possible.

In the meantime, mix up all the ingredients for the filling. Make sure that the filling is well coated with the horseradish, mustard and the liquid.

Roll pastry between two pieces of waxpaper to about 3mm thickness (about an 1/4” or so). Make the dough circular by using a bowl or a saucer. It should be about 16 cm (or about 6") in diameter. Place some of the filling int the middle of the circle. You end up leaving about 1 1/2” to the edge of the circle. Brush some of the beaten egg around the exposed edges of the circle. Gently bring the sides together to form a half circle with the seam facing up. Pich the edges to form little frills if desired. Otherwise, just make sure it’s sealed. Move to the baking sheet and brush with more of the egg wash. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Place in oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 180 C/ 350 F (gas mark 4) and bake another 20 minutes or until golden brown and yummy.

If you are allergic to eggs, the egg replacer should work.

WOw! that ius some recipe! thanks! Where do you buy your Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Flour? My Health Food store has some of their other products but not that one. Can I use their brown rice or sorghum flour instead, you think?

[jenvan]

nut roll and poppy seed rolls............................

The nut rolls I'm thinking of are the long rolls served at the holidays, I used to put ground walnuts in mine and for the poppy seed roll I used the Baker's poppy filling. My wheat recipe calls for sour cream, yeast, in the dough.I can e-mail you the recipe if you like. I used to make these and sell them they were so good. I hate to waste as my deceased german father would frown upon wasting anything so when I make a flop I feel terrible. He used to remind me of straving people in the world --- DON'T Waste!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I now have a complex ...........

OH MY GOSH! Those are my flippin' most favorite things ever!! My dad makes every year for Christmas. We give much of it away and I keep some in the freezer for myself (or did). OH-they are so good! Will have to try and recreate gluten-free this year...

[Rusla]

I am still working on finding a way to make puff pastry. It is one of the toughest to adapt, as I have found out.