Best gluten-free Pie Crust And Flours

[floridanative]

Okay - I only bake about 4 times a year. Make homemade pumpkin bread from Family cookbook in the Fall and pecan pies over the winter holidays. I am so NOT a cook, I always used Pet Ritz pie crusts for the pies.

I now want to attempt making a no-bake peanut butter/choc. pie but it calls for a graham crakers crust (that part is baked, of course). So what do you use as an alternative to graham crakers? I'm not ready to bake homemade graham crackers at this point but would like suggestions as to what to use in place of them - some gluten-free item already made that I can mix with the sugar butter like the recipe calls for.

Next I want to make pumpkin bread for the upcoming family reunion. It calls for 3 cups flour - I'm getting a pre-made mix but there are several types - would I need just reg. gluten-free mix, not self rising?

Last but not least, I want to try using a gluten-free pie crust mix for my pecan pies. Two I'm considering are Breads from Anna mix and GFP mix? Anywone know which is easier?

I did find Gillian's' gluten-free frozen pie crusts at WF so I'm going to use one for a quiche just to see if it's any good. Has anyone tried it and if so, it is edible?

[lpellegr]

I don't use any of the premade mixes, but I can give advice on making your own. For the graham cracker crust, find any good gluten-free cookies and crush them. I used Pamela's pecan shortbread for a cheesecake and it was really good. As far as real pie crust, are you used to making your own, so you understand how to cut the shortening into the flour and then add water a little at a time to pull it together? If you can do that, this will work for you. The best gluten-free crust recipe I found that actually compares well with a normal pie crust is the Vinegar Pastry (Revised) from the Gluten Free Gourmet by Bette Hagman, with my version of the instructions below.

1c white rice flour (I recommend the fine kind you get at Asian markets)

3/4c tapioca flour

3/4c cornstarch

Note: you could probably substitute a commercial gluten-free flour mix for the above.

1 rounded teaspoon xanthan gum (check to see if this is included if you use a mix)

3/4t salt

1T sugar

Mix all the dry ingredients above in a medium bowl. Cut in with a pastry blender:

3/4c shortening (like Crisco) until crumbs are like rice in size, maybe a little smaller.

Mix together:

1 egg lightly beaten

1T vinegar

Add these to the flour/Crisco until blended. Then sprinkle in, 1T at a time, 2-3 T ice water. It may take more or less, the goal is to add just enough that you can gather the dough in a ball that doesn't break apart into dry crumbs and isn't wet and slimy. After adding 2 or 3T, gather the dough with your hands and decide if it needs more. It's okay to squeeze it a little. When all the dry crumbs are incorporated, you're done. Divide it in two and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 min to firm it up. When ready to use, roll each out between two pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap dusted with gluten-free flour. Peel off the top sheet, lay your pie pan on the dough, upside down and centered, then put your hand underneath and flip it over so the dough is in the pan. Pat it into place, then peel off the plastic. Now you can shape the edge and follow your recipe for the filling of choice. If you're going to prebake it, use 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes. You can also freeze the balls of dough and thaw them later - they still work fine. All the gluten-eaters proclaimed this pie crust as good as my old ones at the last two Thanksgivings. Hope this helps!

[StrongerToday]

The GFP mix is awesome!! I think it's better then my mother's regular crust... shh... don't tell her that

[tarnalberry]

I prefer crumb crusts. So I make bread (usually pumpkin bread - especially for pumpkin pie), then slice it, dry it in the oven, and crush it up (in a Cuisinart), and use that, wetted with a little apple sauce (2-4tbsp) and/or a little (tbsp or two) of oil). pressed into a pan, then filled with pie whatever. :-)

[floridanative]

Thanks! I'll try the GFP mix. It looks fairly easy even to me!

I found from another site a great idea for a easy subs. graham cracker crust. Use Pamela's ready made shortbread cookies and make as usual with butter and sugar (depending on your taste).

So all I need now are suggestions as to what gluten-free flour mix to use for homemade pumpkin bread. I know it usually rises when it bakes so I must need self-rising gluten-free mix - does that sound right?

[mamaw]

I haven't tried it yet but Anna's mixes has a gluten-free pie crust . Kinnickkinnick sells graham cracker crumbs too.

[tarnalberry]

If your recipe calls for baking soda or baking powder (or yeast, but I've never seen a pumpkin bread with that one), then no, you do *not* use self-rising flour. Look at the recipe, and if it calls for self-rising flour, get a self-rising gluten-free flour. I prefer to use a mix of flours that I make at home, for the type of bread I'm making, rather than storebought, myself.

[floridanative]

Oh - I didn't know about KK graham crackers crumbs - thanks for the tip.

Tarnalberry - yes - the recipe calls for both baking soda and baking powder so I will not get the self rising gluten-free flour mix. Thanks for telling me that! As you can see, I'm being honest about how much I cook - or used to befor emy dx. Not ready for making my own flour yet and luckily the pumpkin bread recipe is so flavorful, it won't matter that I'm not making a mix per the particular item being baked.

[wolfie]

Okay - I only bake about 4 times a year. Make homemade pumpkin bread from Family cookbook in the Fall and pecan pies over the winter holidays. I am so NOT a cook, I always used Pet Ritz pie crusts for the pies.

I now want to attempt making a no-bake peanut butter/choc. pie but it calls for a graham crakers crust (that part is baked, of course). So what do you use as an alternative to graham crakers? I'm not ready to bake homemade graham crackers at this point but would like suggestions as to what to use in place of them - some gluten-free item already made that I can mix with the sugar butter like the recipe calls for.

Next I want to make pumpkin bread for the upcoming family reunion. It calls for 3 cups flour - I'm getting a pre-made mix but there are several types - would I need just reg. gluten-free mix, not self rising?

Last but not least, I want to try using a gluten-free pie crust mix for my pecan pies. Two I'm considering are Breads from Anna mix and GFP mix? Anywone know which is easier?

I did find Gillian's' gluten-free frozen pie crusts at WF so I'm going to use one for a quiche just to see if it's any good. Has anyone tried it and if so, it is edible?

For a pie crust in the past I have used Pamela's Pecan shortbread cookies crushed and mixed with melted butter and some extra pecans....it was amazing! I bet you could use some of her other cookies, too, maybe one that would go with the PB/Choc pie.

I use a gluten-free All purpose mix (recipe is Bette Hagman's) that I bought from Autentic Foods (I think). I add 1 tsp of Xanthan gum per cup of flour.

Never tried a pie crust mix, but have heard great things about GFP's mix.

[sasha1234]

the Kinnickkinnick graham crackers taste funny in my opinion, but i guess when mixed with butter and sugar they might be just fine... i found them very cardboady

[TriticusToxicum]

I did find Gillian's' gluten-free frozen pie crusts at WF so I'm going to use one for a quiche just to see if it's any good. Has anyone tried it and if so, it is edible?

The Gillian's crusts taste fine - typical bland rice flour. Watch your teeth on the crust that is exposed to direct heat, as it turns rock hard. The pastry under your filling will be fine, but the crimped crust can be s rude awakening!

[floridanative]

Okay - thanks to everyone but now I have another question. I didn't know I had to use zanthum gum. I think there are some gluten-free flour mixes that already have that in them. If I get one without, would I add a scant tsp. per cup of flour as is suggested in other baking posts here? This is for the pumpkim bread which has baking soda/baking powder in the recipe.

[penguin]

Couldn't hurt, but fruit-based quickbreads should be ok without it.

[tarnalberry]

I never use xanthum in quick breads or almost any muffin.

[Guest Robbin]

I just made a "pie crust" from crushed Cocoa Pebbles and melted butter for a simple cherry pie and it was pretty good. edit: This was unbaked with a plain cherry filling- A decent replacement for graham crust-not as good but different.

[mamatide]

I don't use any of the premade mixes, but I can give advice on making your own. For the graham cracker crust, find any good gluten-free cookies and crush them. I used Pamela's pecan shortbread for a cheesecake and it was really good. As far as real pie crust, are you used to making your own, so you understand how to cut the shortening into the flour and then add water a little at a time to pull it together? If you can do that, this will work for you. The best gluten-free crust recipe I found that actually compares well with a normal pie crust is the Vinegar Pastry (Revised) from the Gluten Free Gourmet by Bette Hagman, with my version of the instructions below.

1c white rice flour (I recommend the fine kind you get at Asian markets)

3/4c tapioca flour

3/4c cornstarch

Note: you could probably substitute a commercial gluten-free flour mix for the above.

1 rounded teaspoon xanthan gum (check to see if this is included if you use a mix)

3/4t salt

1T sugar

Mix all the dry ingredients above in a medium bowl. Cut in with a pastry blender:

3/4c shortening (like Crisco) until crumbs are like rice in size, maybe a little smaller.

Mix together:

1 egg lightly beaten

1T vinegar

Add these to the flour/Crisco until blended. Then sprinkle in, 1T at a time, 2-3 T ice water. It may take more or less, the goal is to add just enough that you can gather the dough in a ball that doesn't break apart into dry crumbs and isn't wet and slimy. After adding 2 or 3T, gather the dough with your hands and decide if it needs more. It's okay to squeeze it a little. When all the dry crumbs are incorporated, you're done. Divide it in two and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 min to firm it up. When ready to use, roll each out between two pieces of wax paper or plastic wrap dusted with gluten-free flour. Peel off the top sheet, lay your pie pan on the dough, upside down and centered, then put your hand underneath and flip it over so the dough is in the pan. Pat it into place, then peel off the plastic. Now you can shape the edge and follow your recipe for the filling of choice. If you're going to prebake it, use 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes. You can also freeze the balls of dough and thaw them later - they still work fine. All the gluten-eaters proclaimed this pie crust as good as my old ones at the last two Thanksgivings. Hope this helps!

Thank you!!!! Thank you!!!! Thank you!!!!

It's the end of strawberry season here and the family's been asking for a strawberry-rhubarb pie non-stop. I make, like, 2 pies a year (this one and pumpkin in the fall) so I'm not exactly a seasoned pie maker.

This piecrust was fabulous! I didn't have any crisco so I used butter (naughty, but heck it's once a year!).

My DH declared it to be the "best pie (he'd) ever tasted" (high praise indeed).

So thank you for this recipe. I will probably use it for tarts too. Mmmmm. Butter tarts. I'm going to be as big as a house!

If anyone wants to try this recipe I highly recommend it!

mamatide

[floridanative]

I'm going to use Pamela's cookies for my crust. I'll use Gillian's crust for quiche - taking off the hard crust edge. My pumpkin bread is a quick bread so I don't need zanthum gum. Thanks to everyone who helped me figure this out!

[lonewolf]

I didn't have any crisco so I used butter (naughty, but heck it's once a year!).

Enjoy the butter, it's better for you than Crisco. Butter is full of saturated fat, but Crisco has hydrogenated or "trans" fat, which is very unhealthy. If in doubt, go for a natural product over a manmade one.

[floridanative]

Okay - I made some awesome choc. chip muffins from Pamela's baking mix (not cookie mix) but the recipe called for fruit of some kind but I wanted chocolate. Anyway, they pretty much tasted like the muffins at Sweet Tomato - wonderful! But here is my question - if I want to use fresh blueberries next time, what do I do to get the blueberries soft before adding to the mix? Do I blanch them for a minute and if so, how do you blanch - just drop them in boiling water? Also, on the bag it says if you use dried fruit, to add extra 1/4 cup of water but I thought I read elsewhere you need to soak dried fruit before you add to baked goods? Is that right and if so, how long do you soak it?

[penguin]

But here is my question - if I want to use fresh blueberries next time, what do I do to get the blueberries soft before adding to the mix? Do I blanch them for a minute and if so, how do you blanch - just drop them in boiling water? Also, on the bag it says if you use dried fruit, to add extra 1/4 cup of water but I thought I read elsewhere you need to soak dried fruit before you add to baked goods? Is that right and if so, how long do you soak it?

You don't need them to be soft before adding them to the mix, adding them fresh will work great. They cook down when they're in the oven, I believe you just add them to the dry ingredients. Otherwise, you can also use thawed, drained, frozen blueberries.

As far as dried fruit goes, it depends on the recipe. The dried fruit will expand some while baking, but it will suck up the moisture from the rest of the dish, which is why it says to add extra liquid. You can do it either way. When I make bread pudding, I soak my raisins in boiling water for about 10 mins, just so they're nice and plump after they're cooked in the pudding. I'm more of a fan of the soaking method, just because you have a little more control over the liquid in the recipe.

Blanching- Drop whatever it is in boiling water for about a couple of minutes and then immediately put in cold/ice water. I do this a lot for almonds, since it makes their skins come right off. It works for tomatoes, also.

[lonewolf]

But here is my question - if I want to use fresh blueberries next time, what do I do to get the blueberries soft before adding to the mix?

I've made blueberry muffins twice this week so far. Add the fresh blueberries right before you scoop the batter into the muffin tins. Just fold them right into the batter. They will be perfectly cooked when the muffins are done. Works great with pancakes too!

[floridanative]

Lonewolf - adding fresh blueberries to pankakes for us did not work. They were ripe but did not get soft before the pancakes were ready. That is why we started using canned ones. I can understand that the muffins would be different so I'll just do as you said.

penguin - thanks for the tip on blanching. I do want to soak my cranberries before adding to the mix and I'm going to put a little oj in place of a tiny fraction of the water so I'll have cranberry/orange muffins - just like the Betty Crocker ones!

Okay - now I have to go have a muffin....all this learning has made me hungry.

[tiredofdoctors]

For Blueberry pancakes: Get the frozen wild blueberries at Kroger . . . they do really well . . . taste great, not too big, and don't make the pancake "gooey" like the regular ones do .. . .

As far as pie crust, my mom made a GREAT cherry pie using rice flour for the crust . . . it was good. A little grainy, not flaky like hers normally is (boy do I miss it), but a little sweet and, overall, a really good crust. If you'd like, I'll ask her how she made it . . . . . Lynne

[Cheri A]

I would like to try the pie crust recipe ~ what do you think would be the best egg replacer?

ITA w/Liz about the the butter vs. Crisco! Trans-fats are really, really bad for all of us! I can't use butter for my baking, but have been using Spectrum shortening, which has 0 transfats and is not hydrogenated.

[jerseyangel]

Hi Cheri I love the Spectrum Shortening, too!